


Splatoon: Alone

by Obliterwrite



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt, Loss, Pain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 109,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obliterwrite/pseuds/Obliterwrite
Summary: Not everyone moves to Inkopolis on their own accord, not everyone in Inkopolis is as kind as they may seem. What should one Octoling do, when she is taken and thrust into a side of Inkopolis where anger from the great turf war has yet to die down? What should she do when she loses everything and cannot go home? What should she do when it feels like she's alone, against the world?
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey hey, I'm back with one more story. This time I've decided to change things up a little, the Introduction and main chapters will be told from a first person perspective, however inbetween the main chapters there will be an interlude told in third person, in order to show some things the main chapters missed. It's been a while, and I don't know what angst really is... but I hope this idea works out well.
> 
> In order to give this story a running start, I'll be posting the first two chapters and interludes 24 hours apart from each other, that should help get things going.
> 
> As usual Splatoon belongs to nintendo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey hey, I'm back with one more story. This time I've decided to change things up a little, the Introduction and main chapters will be told from a first person perspective, however inbetween the main chapters there will be an interlude told in third person, in order to show some things the main chapters missed. It's been a while, and I don't know what angst really is... but I hope this idea works out well.
> 
> Just a warning: Although my previous fic didn't exactly have the lightest tones, this one may get worse in the initial chapters.
> 
> As usual Splatoon belongs to nintendo.

**Introduction**

It's another normal day for me, I find myself taking notes as I listen to a professor give a lecture over the sound of electrical humming.

"By definition a virus can inhibit the host's DNA, RNA and protein synthesis as…"

I must pay close attention to every word spoken here, every bit of information here may come in handy for the future of Octo Valley.

I scribble down everything I can, as fast as I can, no need to worry about the quality of handwritting as long as it's legible to me.

Oh right, I have yet to introduce myself, my name is Nathalie, I'd tell you my last name but I don't know what it is. I'm a 15 year old Octoling, and like other Octolings at this age, I'm attending college.

Why do Octolings attend college at the age of fifteen? Well that's probably because of Octo Valley. It's fallen further and further into disrepair after the Great Turf War and has become a dangerous place to live.

In the past an Octoling could live to ages of 150 years, now our average life expectancy was only 25 years. Because of that we finish primary and secondary education at 14 years of age, then we either go on to attend college or find some other work.

I chose the former, sure the army is always accepting new applicants but I'm not interested in that. I want to help make Octo Valley safer, so I've decided to pursue a career in medical sciences, that's why I'm here.

As the day goes on I fill pages and pages with messy yet still readable notes, then it was time to head home.

"Nathalie! Nathalie!" Someone calls out my name.

With a flurry of footsteps an Octoling speeds over to me, well that should be expected, we did walk home together each day after class.

Her name is Alexsandra, but I just call her Alex, she is an Octoling just like me, we are both fifteen years of age, though she can be a bit clumsy sometimes..

"Alex! what did you miss this time?" I asked

"Why do you immediately assume I missed something?! Well you are right… I missed the part about blood coagulation, but still…"

"Oh that? That was just part of an example and not all that important, still I'll let you see my notes once we get home." I smiled

It was important to stay positive at this age, after all this is the age of hard work for us Octolings.

But not to worry, after three years of hard studies I'll be out there saving lives.

Yes, I want to get my medical degree and save lives in Octo Valley! I'm sure Alex feels the same! We can make the Valley a safer place if we try hard enough!

"Nathalie? Why are you looking at me with such a determined face?"

"Oh, I guess I was lost in thought there. Haha." I didn't realize my body was on autopilot, I must have made some silly faces thinking about the future.

It was an hour long walk to get from our university to the orphanage where we lived.

It might be strange to some that our home is an orphanage and to be honest, I have no idea how I ended up there, but I could guess.

Octo Valley was in very poor condition, buildings fell apart, the electrical grid constantly failed…

It wasn't surprising for a dozen or so Octarians to die from accidents each day.

Take a wild guess as to how Alex and I ended up living in an orphanage without any idea what our family names are.

Well despite that, this was our home.

We can't change that, so just smile and live on for as long as you can. When you smile others smile with you.

One of the volunteers sweeping the front porch of the building, he smiled and greeted us as we returned. "Welcome back Nathalie, Alex."

That was all we really heard, none of the other Octarians here spoke to us, though that much was normal in Octo Valley.

It's probably the only place on the planet where making friends is discouraged, because of how often Octarians die down here. Though i'm still not really sure how not making friends is supposed to help with that…

There were Octarians of various ages here, I remember all of their names, but I still wasn't very familiar with the majority of them.

Alex and I greeted them as we passed on by, they returned the gesture, smiling back at us while welcoming us back.

There were the very young children who were still little Octopi and unable to change forms freely and required attention from the volunteers or the older orphans.

There those who were able to walk but still weren't old enough to change forms yet.

Then there were those who were my age, who were either pursuing studies or getting ready to leave and live on their own.

Even though we lived in Octo Valley, everyone here looked content with their lives, well then again, they probably didn't have a choice.

Well even if we aren't allowed to be friends, we all seem rather friendly with each other, in fact you'd never feel alone in Octo Valley.

Alex and I headed for the bedrooms, and by bedrooms I mean one massive room with rows of beds.

Octo Valley lacked materials after all, so we couldn't separate everybody's rooms.

Alex carelessly flopped onto her own bed while I took a seat on mine.

"Ahhh! It's good to be back!"

I nodded in agreement.

"You really have to say that everytime you come back?" Another Octoling commented.

"Yep! And I'll keep saying it as long as it's true." Alex replied to him.

The Octoling who just showed up was named Pete, he was about our age, I see him around quite often here.

He comes and chats with us a lot more than anyone else. He is probably just really talkative.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, but today is your day to help clean the kitchen."

"What? Come on I just got back." Alex companed

"Come on, it won't take long, besides you know what Will says, "kids our age should start helping out around here"."

"Boo… If only I could afford a place of my own..."

I decided not to point out that having your own place only meant more responsibilities, instead i'll just encourage Alex a little.

"Hang in there, after three years we'll be out of here Alex." I say, Alex smiles back at me lazily, then forces herself up and leaves the room.

Today she has to help with some chores, yesterday Pete had to help, and tomorrow it will be my turn.

I've long gotten used to this routine.

"Umm, are you looking for something?" I ask Pete, who was now glancing around as if he was a bit nervous.

"Say, Nathalie… You and Alex talk a lot right?"

"Of course we do, why?"

Noticing that nobody else was within earshot, Pete whispered "Has she ever said anything about me?"

"Huh?" What did he mean by that? "We don't talk about the orphanage often, why would she mention you? There wouldn't be much to say anyways."

I think I saw Pete flinch just a little upon hearing that…

"Oh… I see... Umm has she ever said anything about anyone else?" Pete continued

Oh wait a second, I think I see what's going on here.

"N-Nathalie? Why are you suddenly grinning like that?" Pete asked

How could I not? The only reason Pete would react so strongly, or even ask about Alex like that in the first place is if he had a crush on her, right?

"Haha, do you have a crush on Alex or something?"

"K-keep it down! She might hear you!"

"So you do!"

"I didn't say that! Hey stop that! Stop ruffling my hair!"

I never thought I'd hear something like this, I can't help but smile. Even if Octo Valley is unsafe and our lives are constantly in danger there are still these moments that show how you can still enjoy yourself down here in the Valley.

Pete finally had enough and grabbed my arm. "Seriously stop that! Jeez, you're always so carefree. Why are you treating me like some kid?"

It's kinda hard not to when you barely reach my shoulders in height despite being the same age and react so strongly to Alex...

Well then again, male Octolings are usually somewhat lacking physically compared to females. That's why the army is full of girls while the guys usually do housework.

Well anyways I teased Pete a bit then he left with a somewhat pouty face and messy hair.

I can't help but wonder if Pete's little crush on Alex was the reason why he always tries to hang out with us as soon as we return.

Well now I have something really amusing to share with Alex on our way to class tomorrow haha.

* * *

The next day I woke up Alex and the two of us hurried to get breakfast with the other orphans before heading out to class.

As we ate however, there was some kind of broadcast from the Octarian army.

"For years, our magnificent city has deteriorated, due to the Inklings' selfish decision to steal and hold every last Zapfish out of our reach. They stood by and watched as we suffered every day, we began to fear living in our own homes due to the state our city has fallen into, but soon we won't be the only ones living in fear."

I don't really know who that was on the radio, it definitely wasn't Taki or Koya from the Octo Twins.

Oh well, that army stuff wasn't really for me anyways.

I mean seriously, what is with Octavio and the army being so obsessed with conquering the surface and blaming everything on the Inklings? It's always 'Agent 3 did this' or 'the Inklings are to blame for that'

Sure Octo Valley might be a rotting mess, but it was still our home, shouldn't we be fixing it up first instead of going to war?

What's so bad about Inklings anyway? I always hear Octavio and his Elite Octolings telling everyone that Inklings are just pure evil, but aside from just being on the other side during one war there isn't really much else.

Oh well that's not really my concern, I should hurry to class.

The sooner I graduate the sooner I can start putting smiles on everyone's faces.

Alex and I waved goodbye to everyone as we headed out.

Pete and a few others also had classes but theirs were in different buildings, so they all went their own ways too.

I called out to Pete to wish him a good day, he waved back but when Alex followed my lead and did the same, he rapidly turned away.

Maybe he thought that I had already told Alex about yesterday, heh I guess everyone has a cute side when they're flustered.

After a few minutes had passed I decided it was time to bring up the events of yesterday.

"By the way, something really interesting happened yesterday." I told Alex

"Oh?"

"You're not going to believe this, but after you left, Pete said-"

Huh?

I felt something clasped against my face...

And what was this peculiar scent?...

I suddenly feel tired… It looks as if the world is blackening around me...

What's going on? I wanted to ask but…

I just can't find the strength to do anything…

Finally, everything went dark...


	2. Alone In This Unknown Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathalie and Alex wake up in a unknown place, little do they know what horrors await them

**Chapter 1: Alone in this unknown place.**

Where am I?

I can only see some dim lights.

I think I'm lying on the ground somewhere? it's cold too. No forget that, where am I?

The last thing I recall was walking to class with Alex and…

Oh wait! What happened to Alex?

I get up as quick as I can, only to notice Alex waking up beside me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, good to see neither of us had died. I assume we both blacked out after some kind of accident, after all those were very common in Octo Valley.

Maybe a train derailed again, or maybe some buildings collapsed, who knows?

I quickly pat myself to check if I was injured, but aside from some soreness from lying in a strange position, I was fine.

Well then, time to take a look around.

There seemed to be many other Octarians here, not just Octolings but a twintacled Octarian as well.

But why do they all look so bruised and gloomy?

"Ooohh… Nathalie? Wh-where are we?" I heard Alex finally speak.

She must be as confused as I am.

"I don't really know." I reply to her.

My first guess would be that something happened and that everyone here were victims of yet another Octo Valley accident, that would explain the gloomy atmosphere, but that doesn't explain why we aren't in a hospital and instead in some room I have never seen before.

"Well perhaps we should talk to someone, maybe even cheer them up! That's what you and I both want to do right?" I suggested and Alex nodded in agreement.

We both walked over to the nearest Octoling, he looked like he was a bit older than us, though he was rather skinny. As I got closer I noticed the Octoling also had quite a few cuts and bruises on his body.

I was about to say hi, but after seeing him in that condition I changed my mind.

"Oh! You look hurt! What happened?"

The Octoling took note of me but he didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked "Don't be shy, we all look out for one another down here right?"

"Yeah, no need to worry, if you're hurt just let us know, we'd love to help out." I said, taking a look at the Octolings bruising.

Both of us tried to look as positive as possible in order to comfort this sad looking Octoling.

In response however he looked at us and said "Down here? Do you two think we are still in Octo Valley?"

Huh? We aren't in Octo Valley anymore?

Alex and I exchanged glances, we weren't in Octo Valley anymore? But then where are we? And how did we leave the valley?

By the time we looked back the Octoling had turned away, since he didn't seem to be in a good mood Alex and I decided to speak to someone else.

There were many other Octarians here so we each tried to speak with them.

"Hi!" I said to another Octoling "I'm Nathalie, what's your name?"

The Octoling didn't reply.

"I've never seen a Twintacle Octarian before, where are you from?" Alex said to another Octarian.

Once again we were ignored.

"Just what's with these guys? They aren't like anyone I've seen before." Alex whispered to me.

"Yeah it's strange, I know Octo Valley is a dangerous place to live but I have never seen such gloomy looking Octarians."

"Do you think maybe we missed something important while we were out?"

"Maybe, but still we've seen things like this haven't we?"

"Yeah, everytime there is some big accident in the Undercity, everyone is sad, but then rescue workers, volunteers, bystanders and even the army shows up to help and everyone perks back up."

"Exactly, so we have nothing to worry about, let's just stay positive, sooner or later everyone will cheer up again."

Oh! I think I hear footsteps.

Looking at the source I could see a door, but it didn't have any doorknob or handles, maybe it could only be opened from one side.

Wait a second, why would it be designed like that? Is someone trying to keep us inside this room?

The door opened and in walked several creatures I have never seen before.

They looked kind of like an Octoling, walking on two legs and having a natural beige skin tone, except their hair was different, also there was this strange black outline around their eyes.

I assume they were also cephalopods as they had a rather prominent head, a set of tentacles and their bodies appeared bilaterally symmetric, just like us Octolings.

Everyone else in the room seemed unfazed by the arrival of these creatures, perhaps they had seen them already, but Alex and I had not so we approached out of curiosity.

"Hi" I greeted them, "My name is-"

Before I could finish, the creatures grabbed me and started dragging me off somewhere.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" I heard Alex's voice, then I noticed they were taking her along as well.

Alex struggled but she couldn't get free, I guess she was in a bit of a panic.

I on the other hand didn't jump to conclusions, there was no need to panic, we've never done anything bad, maybe they just didn't understand us, maybe they were taking us to someone who could.

We didn't know anything, so it was too early to make assumptions.

Instead why not just observe and see what we can figure out.

As we were dragged along, we moved up two flights of stairs, then I could see a bright light shining through a window, before we were then tossed into another dark room.

Well at least I now know we were in a rather large building.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?" Alex shouted as the creatures tossed us onto the ground and stood to the side.

"Why won't you say anything?! Hello! I'm talking to you!" Alex shouted to no avail.

"Alex calm down, we don't even know if they understand us." I told her.

"Nathalie? How can you stay so calm? You're even smiling."

Of course I'm smiling, we come from Octo Valley, a gloomy and dark place, we need someone to stay positive and brighten up our day.

"Well we don't really know anything do we? So maybe we sh-"

"Shut up!"

I felt something collide against my cheek, with a cracking sound.

"Nathalie! Are you okay!"

"You too!"

"Ow!"

It was brief but I think I saw someone hit Alex with a whip.

I looked around.

There was another one of those strange cephalopods there.

He held a stick in one hand and a whip in the other, well now I know what hit me.

This particular creature looked like the ones who dragged us up here, only it looked older, angier and had blue hair.

If I were to compare its appearance to that of our species leader DJ Octavio, I would say it looked only slightly younger, maybe it was just over a hundred years old?

"That hurt! What did we-"

"I said SHUT IT! Are your ears so rounded my words roll right off?!"

Alex tried to speak out again, but then she was whipped a second time.

I could see her temper flaring, she tried to run at the creature with the whip but the ones who dragged us here grabbed her and held her back.

They forced her down to the ground as the old cephalopod continued to whip and beat her.

"That;s right! Know your place octoslob! You utterly wortles-"

I think I'll tune out that scene in front of me.

I tell myself there is no need to be angry, they are probably just overreacting a bit to what Alex did.

Yeah, that's it, think happy thoughts, no need to be angry, just smile and it will all pass.

Ahh

I could feel a numbness in my other cheek.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!"

The old creature had turned its attention to me.

I felt a heavy blow to my chest and I fell back, finding myself looking up at this weird creature.

No no, just ignore the pain, I can ignore the pain, yes I can.

I feel more and more blows all over my body, I close my eyes so that I don't have to watch this creature whipping and beating me.

I clasp my hands over my ears so I don't have to hear his mean words.

It will all be over soon, I'll keep telling myself that.

I'll think happy thoughts, like… like what Alex and I will do for the valley once our studies are over.

Yeah that will do, I can already see the happy faces of entire families as Alex and I save them.

It will be a heartwarming sight.

"Why are you smirkin'? Quit mocking me! CRY CRY CRY!"

Nope I didn't hear that.

There's nothing going on, I'm not hurting.

Hey wait a second, now I'm actually not hurting that much anymore.

Did that creature finally stop?

I feel myself being hefted into the air, I hear a few rapid footsteps and then feel the cold floor against my skin.

I open my eyes.

Alex and I are back in that room we woke up in.

"Owww, ' _sniff'_ It hurts."

Alex was on the verge of tears, one look at her and I could see why, she looked just like the other Octarians down here, bruised all over.

I got up but as I did, I felt quite a bit of pain as well.

I must have been banged up real bad, just like Alex.

Still, on the bright side, we don't have any open wounds, it's just some bruising here and there.

"Hey cheer up! At least it's over, plus there isn't anything that will leave a scar." I smiled and hugged Alex while gently patting her on the back, careful not to hit any bruised spots."

"Nathalie, you…"

Alex looked at me as if I was doing something incredible, then she wiped away her tears.

"There we go! No need to cry, just have some rest, you'll feel better soon."

I'm sure everything will clear up and we will be back to our normal lives in no time.

"There isn't really any place to rest…" Alex noticed

She was right, the room was pretty empty, with only a few carpets and mats lying around.

Meh, we can still make this work.

"Just lie here." I told Alex and I sat down, letting Alex rest in my lap.

As Alex and I settled down we heard a voice

"You two… Do you really think this will just blow over?"

Oh hey! That first Octoling we spoke to finally decided to come forth and talk.

"And why are you smiling like that? Do you have any idea what you've gotten into?"

I shrugged "Not really, we just both woke up here."

The Octoling sighed "Oh well, forget about it, we're all going to die here anyways."

"Come on, don't say that. Aren't you also from Octo Valley? You know how we keep living on despite-"

"Well this ISN'T Octo Valley. It's much worse."

I'm kinda getting annoyed at being cut off all the time, but it's fine, at least someone is willing to talk to us. I should find out everything I can from him.

"Then where are we? It can't possibly be worse than Octo Valley."

"Well it is…" the Octoling sighed again. "You two should just make peace with whatever time you have left, we are never getting out of here."

"Where is here?"

"I don't know, some rich Inkling's villa if I were to guess."

"Inkling?"

"Don't tell me you didn't even recognise them."

"How could I?"

"Haven't you seen all of DJ Octavio's broadcasts back in the valley?"

To be honest I never paid them much heed, I figured it was just war talk and not very truthful.

"No I haven't, so wait, you're telling me we aren't underground? We are in Inkopolis?"

"Who knows."

"A-actually, I kinda do." came a much quieter voice.

It was the twintacle Octarian from before.

"You do? But I've never even heard you talk before." the Octoling commented.

"Well you never asked."

With Alex still recovering in my lap, I listened to what the Twintacle and the Octoling had to say.

"The Inkling who runs this place is named Macrum."

What a strange name, the Inklings' naming sense must be very different from us Octarians.

"I don't really know why, but something happened to Macrum in the past, now he hates us with a passion. Apparently he is rich, so rich that he can have somebody kidnap us and bring us here to this private villa, where he can have fun hurting us undisturbed." the Twintacle continued.

"You really should have said something earlier you know." the Octoling added "I've been here for what? three years now and you even said a thing."

Three years!?

"W-wa-wait a minute, did you just say three years? You've been here three years?" I stammered

"It sure feels that way."

Octarians had a naturally good sense of time, so his guess was probably accurate.

"It's the same thing every day, you wake up, get fed some random slop that's barely edible, then you wait for your turn to be beaten. Eventually your body gives up and you die."

So this Octoling has been here for so long he's pretty much given up huh? I guess time will do that.

"Have you tried talking with Macrum? Maybe try and underst-" I began, but I got interrupted again

"You can't be serious, even if you try to talk he'll just hit you harder." said the Twintacle as both he and the Octoling stared at me in disbelief.

It seems like everyone here has a pessimistic attitude.

"Well you still have to try, I mean there could just be some misunderstanding." I tried to keep reasoning with the others but they didn't want to hear it.

They just shook their head and went back to sulking on their own, what a sad sight.

"Alex, you believe me right?" I asked Alex, who was still lying in my lap.

She didn't seem so convinced either. "If they've been here for that long, I don't think we're getting out anytime soon…"

"Oh come on! We just got here, don't give up so quickly. I'm sure things will work out somehow."

Alex stared up at me.

"How can you stay so positive, even now? Aren't you hurting from what just happened?"

Well I am, obviously. I wasn't any better off than Alex at this point but.

"We are Octarians aren't we? If we gave up everytime we got a little hurt we wouldn't be here today."

That's right, those that are quick to give up, to get angry or jump to conclusions will never get anywhere.

We didn't survive without zapfish for a hundred years by being defeatists.

"So turn that frown upside down, when you smile everyone smiles with you." I said, flashing a smile of my own in order to comfort Alex. "We'll go back to Octo Valley together, we'll see Pete and everyone else soon. So don't give up yet."

I assured Alex things would get better but…

Honestly I'm not so sure about it myself.

We didn't have any windows or clocks in this room, but everyone felt like it was nighttime so they tried to sleep.

We didn't actually have any beds so all the Octarians here just kinda split up into their own little spaces and slept.

As Alex dozed off beside me, I began to wonder why this was happening.

Alex and I had never done a thing to hurt anyone, so why was this Macrum hating us so much?

Perhaps there is more to it than it seems…

Whatever the reason, I hope I can help. Being able to say that I have experience working with members of other species should look great on a job resume.

Yeah that's it, turn this unfortunate event into an experience for the future.

Think positive thoughts, everything will get better… I told myself as I finally managed to fall asleep...

* * *

It didn't get any better…

Like that skinny Octoling had said, the next day was the same, we would wake up, be fed stuff that could barely qualify as food, then wait to be beaten.

Alex would run back to me swollen and crying so I did my best to help her cheer up, then I was also dragged off, where Macrum would do anything to hurt me.

I was kicked, whipped and choked, but no matter what I won't cry, crying would be giving up and I didn't want to give up hope that maybe I could return to Octo Valley despite what the others say.

I keep telling myself that everything will be fine, even as I'm biting my lip to avoid crying out in pain.

"Damn you! What's with that smile? Are you mocking me!? Cry already!"

For some reason Macrum didn't seem to like me very much, though I'm not sure why.

Still for someone his age to be that angry must not be very good for his health.

Maybe I could try to soothe his anger.

Let's just ignore what he has been doing to me and speak with him.

Talking solves problems better than violence after all…

"You know, if something is bothering you, feel free to tell me about-"

"Shut up! You should know very well what's bothering me!"

I felt another sharp blow, this time on my mouth.

I think I was just whipped in the face, I could taste something in my mouth, was it blood? Ink? Maybe both?

No worries, I am young, I can heal.

Ignore the pain, just keep smiling...

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are your damn facial nerves frozen or something?!"

Macrum began to hit my face with a variety of items, from a belt to a pool cue.

Just what was wrong with him? No wait, I shouldn't get angry just yet.

I stand up, despite the pain in my face I still manage to keep my smile and say "I hope that makes you feel better. I don't know what happened in the past, but please try to relax and-"

I was cut off again as Macrum first looked shocked, then angry, he said to one of the other Inklings "Tch, this one is no good, bring me another."

And with that I was thrown back into that dark room with the other Octarians.

As I was tossed in, Alex ran to my aid as the Inklings who were probably Macrum's goons dragged the skinny Octoling away, probably to be beaten again.

A while later however, as Alex and I were tending to our wounds, the Octoling returned.

He looked weak from pain, he had even more bruises and a very swollen face, there were also red markings around his neck, as if something had been tied around it and then used to drag his body along.

But on the plus side, he was still alive.

I immediately went over to help but…

"You... Just what did you do?" The Octoling looked up at me, he looked angry, almost as angry as Macrum did.

I was surprised, did I do something wrong?

"W-what do you mean?"

"Why did you have to piss off Macrum even more?!"

"Huh? B-but I was just trying to help?"

"Help!? Are you serious? He dragged you out of Octo Valley and used you as a torture toy and you're trying to help him?"

"Hey Jake, leave the kid alone, she didn't mean to make things worse." I heard the Twintacle say from his corner of the room.

Alex had also hopped to my defense.

"You can't blame her for being kind, that's just how she is."

The skinny Octoling, who I now know as Jake, shot one more glare at me, as if everything was my fault, then he quieted down and turned away.

"Thanks Alex and uhh…" I looked at the Twintacle, expecting him to take a hint and tell me his name.

However the Twintacle said "I don't have a name."

"What?"

"I don't have a name."

"How could that be? Everyone should have a name."

"Not me, you two seem pretty smart, so you should know how Twintacles like me are made."

I did, Alex should know too, we both learned about it in class.

An Octoling's tentacles have a mind of their own, when in a pinch, older Octolings can sever some tentacles which could then gain independence to go and protect them.

I've heard that the Octarian Army makes heavy use of Octotroopers, which are created in such a way. Hmm, maybe that would explain why I didn't see any single tentacled or twintacle Octarians back in Octo Valley's Undercity.

"Macrum tore some hair off one of the Octolings who had been here before, that's how I came to be. In a way I was born here and have no name."

Ohh I see…

I felt an urge to cover my head at the thought of someone ripping my hair out. Urghhhh… How painful will that be?...

No I shouldn't think about it, let's put that aside.

From the looks of things this Twintacle had been here even longer than Jake, but rarely spoke until now.

"Hey, don't worry, we can just make up a name for you." I said

The Twintacle shook his head.

"What's the point, in a few days you and your friend will end up just like the rest of us."

This poor Twintacle had probably been here the longest. Actually I haven't seen him being dragged off as often as the Octolings here. Maybe Macrum doesn't get as much satisfaction from torturing a Twintacle.

Still for him to say something like that with such certainty, kinda makes me want to prove him wrong.

Yeah that must be it, that must have been some out of the box method to encourage Alex and I to stay positive.

I'll do just that! Thank you Twintacle with no name.

…

"We are never getting out of here, are we Nath?" Alex whispered softly to me, once the Twintacle and everyone else returned to sulking in their respective corners.

"What do you mean? Of course we will. If Macrum hates us for something that happened in the past, all it will take is some more time and he'll get over it, I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yes, we'll be back home in no time."

"Do you promise?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you promise we will both make it back to Octo Valley together?"

"Yep! I promise."

It honestly feels like I'm just lying to myself at this point…

No I can't think that, I can't give up yet, if I do then Alex will follow then we will never make it out of here.

I can't stop smiling, that would be the same as giving up. Things will get better, and if they don't I can change that. Believe in myself… This will be over soon.

* * *

The next day things changed.

But not for the better.

"Hurry up and scrub! A hundred lashes if I can't see my reflection in those windows!"

This morning, in addition to being dragged off one by one for Macrum of beat and whip, the rest of us were suddenly forced to do work.

Those goons that always followed Macrum orders, patrolled around, checking on us every now and then.

We were pretty much forced to clean every inch of this enormous villa, it was tiring…

No, let's not look at it that way.

I got to really discover just how large and luxurious this place was. The building itself had three floors above ground and two underground.

While I was forced to wash the windows, I got the chance to see the sky for the first time in my life.

It was beautiful, the natural blue background with white balls of fluff floating around, a bright light which…

"Ahh!"

What was that? It was blinding! Could that be the sun? I've only heard tales about it, so i'm not sure.

I could tell that Alex was equally awestruck, her eyes shined as she gazed outside, to a world so vast and colorful.

"Hey! Don't stop working! You want another whack?!"

I heard two whacks, and felt one, that sent Alex and I back in motion.

Right, we were not exactly free.

Once we were done with the windows I was forced to scrub the floors along with everyone else.

"Keep scrubbing, if these floors aren't shining I'm making you eat off em!" Macrum told the rest of us before walking off somewhere.

He already makes us eat off the floor in that basement room, so I don't know how that was supposed to encourage us...

With no other choice Alex and I, along with Jake, the Twintacle and many others, sweeped, mopped and scrubbed the floors of Macrum's villa.

It was tough work, my arms were starting to get a bit tired, not having proper nutrition didn't help either.

As I was just finishing up however, there were footsteps, some stomping noises and then Macrum's loud booming voice shouting into my ear.

"Well!? What are you waiting for! Clean!"

I looked back to see that Macrum had purposely tracked dirt into his home.

All my work had been undone and I had to do it again or get hit…

No no, I can't think of it like that, I should just be glad I'm not being beaten, yeah that's it.

Without complaining, I immediately set to work again, as Macrum looked on, annoyed he gave me a quick kick on the side while still wearing his dirty shoes.

No worries, I'll just dust myself off and continue to work.

Macrum already hates Octarians, so getting angry at him wouldn't help at all, I'll just smother him with kindness to show that we are actually a very friendly race.

Once I was done with the floor, I turned my attention to Macrum's shoes, still caked in mud and dirt, I should do something about it before he drites the floor again

"Oh, it seems like your shoes are still dirty, would you like me to clean them as well?" I offered with a smile.

All I heard in response, was a 'krrt' noise, as if someone was clenching their teeth a bit too hard.

Macrum tossed his shoes at me, before huffing off, someone in an even worse mood then before.

What a strange reaction, perhaps Inklings respond poorly to kindness? I don't know, I really never learned anything about Inklings back in Octo Valley, all I ever heard was army propaganda denouncing their actions in the Great Turf War and some recent stories about a monster called Agent 3 selfishly stealing all the Zapfish DJ Octavio had worked so hard to obtain.

That wasn't really enough to paint a clear picture on Inklings.

As soon as I was done I was tossed back into the basement, which as it turns out had a hidden room to keep me and the other Octarians.

Strangely I was the only one here, where did Alex and the others go?

They should have been back by now, unless Macrum is going out of his way to make them redo their work as well.

Why are we even doing this in the first place? Someone like him could easily afford to hire someone for housekeeping, why is he making us do this?

Does he just want to see us tired?

As I was pondering, Alex and the rest of the imprisoned Octarians returned.

Each one of them looked in a far worse condition compared to me.

"Oh my gosh, are you all alright?" I asked a rhetorical question, but it's important to let others know you are worried for them.

However, nobody wanted to talk to me, for some reason they glared back at me, as if I had done something horrible.

Just what was up with them? I know they had all long given up hope on returning home, but this kind of treatment is new.

At least they seemed friendlier with Alex now.

Speaking of Alex, I think she was trying to talk to me again, but Jake and the others pulled her back and told her something.

Alex glanced over at me, then back at them and stayed quiet.

I really didn't know what was up here.

Even the Twintacle who stood up for me last time didn't want to speak anymore.

Maybe it had something to do with how badly injured they looked, I had never seen them in such a condition.

Before they only had swelling and bruises, now some had open wounds, on the bright side none of them looked too deep.

It's nothing that can't be healed.

I tried taking a closer look, but everyone seemed to resent me for some reason. They turned their heads away from me when I spoke to them and when I offered to help they told to me to "piss off" or something along those lines.

Except for Alex, who after being left alone, waddled over to me, looking weary of her surroundings.

"Nathalie… I have to ask, did you do anything to put Macrum in an even worse mood?"

Have I? I don't think so.

"Why would I do that? You know me, I'm an optimist, a glass half full type of Octoling, why would I ever try putting someone in a bad mood?"

Alex grinned a little, but then tears started to flow out of her eyes.

"Nathalie, I don't like this, I want to go home."

So do I, but what can we do?

It won't be good if I admit that, come on think, there must be a good side to all this.

"I don't like this either, but hey, at least we got to see the sky. Besides, now that we have to work around the villa we have a rare chance to explore a luxurious and modern Inkling home."

"Heh heh, sniff. I guess you are right." Alex weakly replied.

Just like the others, she had plenty of cuts and bruises all over, it must hurt alot.

Perhaps I should keep talking, maybe that can distract her from the pain.

"This place is a lot more spacious than it seems, I don't think even Octavio owns a villa like this."

Alex nodded in agreement.

"And did you notice that instead of a single colour, their faucets let you choose any colour of ink you want?" I continued.

"They also have much brighter lights, not like the orangey incandescent ones back at the orphanage…" Alex muttered.

I smiled at Alex "There you go, don't see this as misfortune, but rather a rare opportunity!"

Alex grinned back at me, but only for a split second.

"I still want to go home, I don't care how. I just don't want to stay here."

"I'll figure something out, don't worry." I assured her, just like I did before. I won't break that promise so I'll think of something.

The next time I'm forced to clean windows or scrub the floor, I'll keep my eyes peeled for any sort of escape route.

Oh wait, perhaps the others might have noticed something.

I walked over, asking anyone if they noticed anything important today, but I was ignored.

They must be in a bad mood due to today's surprise forced labour, I'll let them rest for now and cheer them up tomorrow.

* * *

Well that was the plan but…

Over the next few days nothing changed.

Everyday Macrum would purposely mess up his own villa just to force us into cleaning it up, then he would continue his usual sadistic play of beating us into submission.

Even if it hurt, even if I was powerless to resist, I never cried.

I always told myself it would be over soon and Macrum would simmer down.

To that end, I made sure to always look positive and greet everyone, including Macrum and his goons, with a happy face.

Unfortunately nobody seemed affected.

I don't understand, back in Octo Valley, if you smiled everyone else would smile with you, why did that not happen here?

Jake and the other Octarians were ignoring me, so were the Inklings that worked for Macrum.

The only bit of a reaction I got was from Alex or Macrum.

Alex would always be depressed when she returned from her daily torture session, so I had to remind her to stay positive and don't give up, all while assuring her I was working on a way out, as for Macrum he kept muttering things like 'Why won't you cry?' it was the weirdest thing.

By the way, I wasn't lying when I told Alex I'd find a way out.

In fact I have actually noticed quite a lot.

First off, Macrum's goons who are supposed to keep an eye on us while we work, they don't stay in one place, instead they circle around the villa, eying us one by one as they pass by, that means there is a decent amount of time where we are not being monitored.

Secondly, we have to remember that this is just some rich Inkling's home, not a prison. That means aside from Macrum and his goons, there isn't really anything preventing you from leaving. Unlike a prison there were no traps, guard towers or fences with water flowing down them, so if you could run fast enough, you could probably get away.

It almost sounds too easy, but it does kind of make sense.

Macrum only wants to make us suffer for his enjoyment, so he didn't really think things through. Besides everyone aside from Alex and I have long given up hope, so they wouldn't try anything to begin with.

This is rather good news, I'll tell Alex and we will make a run for it as soon as we can.

Unfortunately that will have to wait, as right now I'm about to be beaten again.

I've kinda gotten used to it by now, so I'll just keep smiling to myself and wait for it to be over.

Huh?

Strange, I feel a chill around my waist.

And what is with the constant pulling? I feel myself being jerked around.

There was the sound of something being torn apart.

I should probably look to see what was happening.

I was still being held by two of Macrum's goons…

Wait a second, what happened my sleeves? Why is my midriff exposed? They've torn up the clothes I was wearing…

D-don't tell me…

_Whaap!_

Oh… I see.

Without any fabric in the way there is nothing to cushion the blows.

I can feel the leather of the belt and the metal of the buckle as Macrum whipped me over and over.

It hurts, it hurts alot…

"Ahhh!"

I couldn't help but yell, even though I know it was bad to do so.

On the bright side, it's just physical pain, at least I wasn't violated…. Ha ha…

Hahahahaha.

Ahhhhhh.

I have to get out of here.

No no, I can't get hasty, stay calm, stay positive, I'm just being beaten again, nothing new here...

I clench my teeth, biting my lip as I hear the sounds of wood, leather and metal colliding against my skin.

Endure it, I can endure it… I've lived in Octo Valley, this can't be any worse…

But it is…

No, it isn't, it's just new, I'll get used to it soon… I hope.

No, I hope I never have to experience it again.

It feels like I'm about to pass out, though that might be because I was holding my breath to help endure the pain.

I gasp for breath, as Macrum finally stops his assault.

It hurt so much…

But I'm glad it's over.

Smile Nathalie, smile….

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Macrum was as angry as ever.

He slapped me across the face, but that was fine, he's done that so often by now that I don't feel much when that happens.

I can get through this.

"Bahh, still nothing, what a killjoy, bring in the next one." Macrum ordered as I was sent back to the basement.

As soon as I was released back into the room, I had collapsed to my knees.

The Inklings dragged off somebody else and left me here with Alex and the others.

I must have been a horrible sight, limping about with only shreds of cloth on me.

I could see Jake, the unnamed Twintacle and the other Octarians staring at me, shocked.

They muttered among themselves, it seemed like they still didn't want to talk to me.

Alex however, was sweet enough to immediately come to my aid.

"N-Nathalie… You.. What happened to you? Why do you look like that?"

Don't ask about that, I have good news.

"Alex, I think we can get out of here."

"Wh-wh-what did you do?"

"Oh nothing yet, I was just hit a lot harder this time. But that doesn't matter, we can go home."

"What? Seriously?!" Alex exclaimed.

"Shh, not so loud."

I could feel eyes on us, hopefully they were only those of the Octarians trapped in here with us.

"Listen, the next time we are forced to clean the villa, stick close to me, we'll get out of here together and go back to Octo Valley."

"W-what? But how? You make it sound so easy…" Alex whispered "Is it really that easy?"

"Well we won't know until we try right? Are you with me?"

"Y-yes! Of course!" Alex looked overjoyed, she must have really been fed up with this place, or just homesick… A little bit of both perhaps…

Well I'm glad to see her in such a good mood, tomorrow we will make a run for it.

* * *

The next day, as promised, Alex kept close to me as we were made to clean the place again.

Like before, Macrum's goons did not stay in one place, instead they walked around, passing us by every now and then.

There was a good fifteen seconds between them.

As we shined the windows, I whispered to Alex. "See, there are short moments where nobody is watching us, look out there, outside. This isn't a prison or anything, there is nothing to keep us from leaving.

Just like any home, the doors could be locked and unlocked easily from inside, it would be hard to get in without a key, but getting out would be no problem.

Macrum really didn't put much thought into this, must be his age showing.

Once we were done with the windows, we began to scrub the floors.

Jake and the other kidnapped Octarians, took note of us, but ignored what we were doing.

We scrubbed our way to the front door, while looking miserable as ever, just like what we had always done in the past few days.

Alex and I watched as one Inkling glanced at us and moved on.

There would be fifteen seconds before the next one passed by.

Alex looked at me, but I gestured for her to wait.

Wait a few seconds for that Inkling to put some distance between us.

Three seconds later, we gentilly opened the front door, slipped out and closed it again in five seconds.

Then the two of us ran with all our might.

We ran off into the distance, feeling the dew from crushed grass splash up against our legs.

We weren't in a very populated place, in fact I could only see fields and dirt from here.

No matter, Alex and I had to keep running, we didn't know where we were going, so we kept running in one direction.

Now that I think about it, this is my first time ever being outside on the surface of the world.

The sun felt so warm, so comforting.

It was great to be outside.

Finally, Alex and I stopped as we reached what appeared to be a narrow dirt road surrounded by trees, at least I think they were trees.

It seems Macrum put his villa in a very remote location. Well that makes sense, he was housing a bunch of Octarians against their will.

We heard something driving down the road behind us, assuming it was Macrum looking for us, Alex and I dived into the trees as an SUV drove by.

We aren't taking any chances now.

I held my breath as the vehicle drove by, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.

"We're out! I can't believe we are actually out!" Alex exclaimed. She spread her arms as if she were embracing the air around us.

I wanted to calm her down, but I decided against it once I saw how happy Alex was.

I had never seen her so joyful before.

We hugged each other to celebrate our escape.

"See, look at how easy that was, I told you we should never give up and stay positive."

Alex nodded rapidly in a mixture of excitement and understanding.

Okay, so now what?

"We've made it far enough I think… But where are we exactly?"

"Don't ask me…"

I would take a wild guess and say Inkopolis, but this doesn't look like a big city.

Also how are we supposed to get home from here?

No forget that, where are we supposed to find food and water?

I really didn't think this through, no wonder everyone else gave up on escaping Macrum's villa.

No, we've come this far, I can't go back now.

"Let's keep moving, but not in the direction we came."

"Yeah, good idea."

Alex and I walked on, following the dirt road for miles, occasionally reaching an intersection and taking a turn.

I was starting to feel dry, the sun wasn't helping either.

What appeared warm and comforting at first was now a source of discomfort.

I was sweating quite a bit, and I could see Alex in a similar state...

Hmm?

We had reached a wide paved road, or maybe it was a highway.

"We probably should turn back." Alex suggested.

We could, but I noticed something interesting.

There was a car, a sedan painted white, with a gold star on the side and sirens on top.

It was parked on the side of the road.

Something like that had to be a police car right? Maybe they could help us.

"Alex, you see that? Maybe they could help us."

Their car was obviously a patrol car, so it was guaranteed they weren't Macrum's goons.

Alex and I trekked over to the vehicle.

There were two Inklings inside, talking about something while watching the road.

They both had badges pinned to their clothes.

"Excuse me, are you police officers?" I asked, knocking on the window.

The two Inklings looked our way, their heads jolted back in shock.

"Uhh, yes… may we help you?" one of them replied.

I guess Alex and I must look like a mess, no wonder they are so surprised.

But at least they don't seem to have a problem with us being Octolings, or maybe they haven't noticed it yet.

Well I guess I should be straightforward with them.

"Do you know how we can get back to Octo Valley from here?"

The two officers looked confused.

"Octo Valley? But why would you want… Wait did you say 'back to'?"

I nodded, these two seemed trustworthy enough, they could probably figure it out.

Besides, Alex and I don't look like soldiers, so they shouldn't be suspicious of us.

The two officers exchanged glances.

"You know how far that is? What are you doing out here in the first place?" One of them asked.

"It wasn't our choice." Alex explained "You see we were forced-"

"Ahh it's okay, we understand, we'll give you a lift back."

"Thank you."

There was a mechanical click as the patrol car's doors unlocked, me and Alex got into the back and made ourselves comfortable.

It was nice to be out of the sun, sure it was a new experience but being heated for that long wasn't pleasant.

The air conditioned police car felt refreshing and it gave us a chance to rest after hours of walking.

Alex too, looked relieved.

We set off, watching the scenery fly by as the two officers drove us away.

Before long, Alex had closed her eyes and learned her head on the window, as if she was taking a nap.

Well we had walked for quite some time, she deserved the rest.

'Yawn'

Hmm maybe I should too…

I rested my head against the window, watched the trees fly by as the car sped along on this bumpy dirt road.

The scenery passing by, the gentle bumps every now and then, it all felt rather relaxing...

Wait a second, a dirt road?

Didn't we come from here?

Maybe Alex and I ran the wrong way and Octo Valley was in the other direction.

Right, these officers knew where they were going after all.

I'll just take this time to rest, before long we will be back home.

…

Only a few minutes later we turned into a familiar driveway.

Oh no…

"Alex wake up! Wake up quick!"

"Hmm? Nathalie.. What's wrong?"

The police had taken us right back to Macrum's villa.

I watched as the two officers left the car and began to talk with one of Macrum's goons.

Alex and I tried to leave immediately, but the doors wouldn't open… Why? Why wouldn't they open?

Wait a second, normally they put prisoners in the back here… so that means the rear doors could not be opened from inside.

"Let us out!" I heard Alex shout as she banged on the window. "I don't want to go back!"

She was in a mad panic.

Unfortunately we could do nothing as more of Macrum's goons arrived from the villa and dragged us out of the car.

All the progress we had made was wiped away in an instant.

"Why?!" Alex shouted as she and I were dragged past the two officers "Why would you take us here?!"

Macrum himself showed his face and took the attention of the two officers.

"Ignore those two." he said, congratulating the two officers.

I saw him pass over a stack of cash to one officer.

"That should be enough for that family vacation you had planned, right Maxwell?"

"Hey what about me?"

"Don't worry, I didn't forget you." Macrum said, passing another wad of cash to the second officer "Here you go Boil"

Those two… were they being paid off by Macrum to help hide what he was doing out here?

I watched as the two officers happily returned to their patrol car, now with stuffed pockets.

It was the last thing I saw before Alex and I were tossed back inside the villa.

* * *

I expected to be thrown back into the basement, but no, Alex and I were taken to that dreaded room, the one Macrum used to beat us for his enjoyment.

Macrum was there, as usual, but he looked much much angrier than ever.

"You… I've see i've been far too kind with you"

What the? You call these last few weeks kind?!

Forget what you did to me, what have you been doing to Alex? She was pretty much crying every day!

I really wanted to shout at this point, but it was useless, so I'll just take a breath and try to reason.

But just as I did that, I smelt something burning.

Not just that, I felt something incredibly painful on my chest.

I wanted to scream, but I held it as much as I could.

"Ahhhh!" It's no use.

Macrum had a fire poker with him and the tip was red hot.

He just used it to poke at my exposed midriff.

"That's what I like to hear! Keep screaming! You should be thankful I'm not poking you in the eyes!"

This Inkling…

No no I can't get angry, that would just make things worse.

You needed two hands to clap, so you would need two angry creatures to start a fight. Starting a fight here would not be good for me or Alex… Guess I should just agree with Macrum.

"You're right, despite how much you hate me and everything you've done to me, none of it was really life threatening. You have great self control." I told him

There was no leaving this place, so I guess the only thing left was to stay positive, to smile.

"What the?! What the hell? Why are you so damn persistent?! Ahh screw it!" Macrum tossed aside the poker and yelled at one of his goons. "I want an iron bar and a blowtorch, and I want it five seconds ago!"

The Inkling hurried off and soon returned with the requested items.

I know what he was going to do.

He was going to heat the center of the bar and press it again my skin.

I watched him heat the bar until it glowed.

Here it comes, if I can endure everything I've been through so far, I can endure this.

' _Sssssssssss'_

Oh Great Zapfish above! it hurt! it hurt so much!... But at least I saw it coming. Unlike with the poker I managed not to yell this time. T-t-that's a plus right?

I wrinced from the pain, my teeth clenched and my eyes squeezed shut, but I had not cried.

"Wha?"

Once I felt the metal removed, I looked back up at Macrum. There was that pattern, I had seen it so many times now, first shock, confusion, then anger.

"I'm tried of going through this everyday. I know you hate us for something, but that's in the past. Please try and move on. I'm sure we could be great friends." I told him calmly.

"You stupid, naive, little… Feh, forget it. Hey! You two, take this eight armed bitch out of my sight!"

I don't think I'll ever understand why he is so angry all the time.

Two of Macrum's goons dragged off to the basement again.

Hey wait! What about Alex!?

"Alex! I shouted as I reached for her.

"Nathalie!" I heard her cry back, but by then she was out of view.

I was thrown back into the basement with all the other Octarians.

"Hmm, you're back huh..." Jake muttered

Wait, someone else is actually talking to me?

Okay, now is not the time to sulk about our failed escape, or the painful burns, let's try and look joyful again.

"Yep, I thought we had it, but I guess not."

Jake shook his head "Now you see… Nobody is ever getting out of here."

"Nah, even if Alex and I did fail, at least now we know there are Inkling cops on his payroll, that's something useful to keep in mind!"

"Just how do you manage to look at things that way? No scratch that, why are you down here? I thought for sure Macrum wouldn't take any second chances..."

"I don't know, maybe he's not as bad as he seems?"

"Not bad? Look around you?! We are barely fed, beaten and now doing working like slaves!"

Of course I know that. "So things aren't great, that doesn't mean you should be quick to give up. Aren't you also from Octo Valley? You know how we keep living on despite how bad things get. Just keep smiling and make your dreams into memories!"

"What? You think I'm just some pessimistic Octoling?! That I just gave up the moment I got here?! Girl I had dreams too, I had goals, you know how everyone in Octo Valley says 'ooo the army is for the girls, the guys should just stay home and look after the children?blah blah blah' Well I wanted to prove them wrong! So I trained myself every single day! I wanted to join the Octarian army when I came of age! But then I was brought here! Now look at me!"

Jake stood up looking very annoyed, he spread his arms out.

What was he trying to show? That he was taller than me despite being a boy? Or that he was rather skinny?

"Before being kidnapped, I worked out every day and weighed 210 lbs, all muscle. Now look! I've become a cod damn skeleton! You think that by forcing that stupid smile on your face you can just make everything better?! WAKE UP!"

Jake inched closer and closer out of anger.

"Hey Jake, leave her alone would you?" I heard the Twintacle speak up again.

"Ahh shut up! You agreed with me didn't you?! Someone has to give this girl a reality check!"

Huh? What did he mean?

"I did say that, but… Ah forget it, there is probably no other way."

The Twintacle agreed?! What's going on? What were they saying about me behind my back?

Jake turned his attention back to me.

"Listen here dumbf**k. Ever since you arrived things have only gotten worse! And it's all your fault! Haven't you noticed our lashings got worse day by day!?"

Huh? It was my fault? I did notice the others' injuries grew worse and worse each day, but how could it possibly be my fault?

"Geez, you are the most dense Octoling I've ever met! Haven't you realized Macrum wants you to suffer? That he wants to hear you in pain? Stop trying to smile through everything, all it's doing is put Macrum in a worse mood, which in turn makes him take it out on us! Life was already hell for us before and you're just making it worse! Right guys?!"

H-huh? I am?

I looked at the other Octarians in the room.

Every one of them, even the Twintacle who had seemed so nice before, nodded with Jake.

"W-w-was it really all my fault?!"

I didn't have time to really think about it.

Because I heard a thud as something flew into the room.

An Octoling girl lay on the ground, battered, bloodied and burnt.

"Oh my gosh! Alex!"

I hurried to her side.

She wasn't just bruised this time.

She had burns, second and third degree ones on several parts of her body.

Some burned areas even had large open wounds left on them.

Other areas were just gashed, letting ink and blood seep out.

"H-hang on Alex, I can help you." I looked around for anything that might help.

"N-Nathalie… I'm sorry…" Alex struggled to get these words out.

"What are you sorry for? You're a good girl, you did nothing wrong."

"I'm sorry… I can't keep our promise…" She said, between laboured breaths.

There must have also been damage to her windpipe, or maybe there was just something blocking it, maybe I should try the heimlich maneuver?

I tried to prop Alex back up, but she seemed to understand what I was trying to do. We did both take medical courses after all.

She shook her head, as if to indicate there was nothing stuck in her throat.

I set her back down, instead of steading her breaths, I should try and deal with some of those deep cuts.

The gashes made in burned areas of her skin must have been done with a very hot item, as it seemed like the wound was cauterized as soon as it was made.

But there were other parts that were still leaking ink, blood and other body fluids. They were deep cuts too, and whatever had made the cut had been forcibly pulled out afterwards, further worsening the damage.

There were no bandages, no gauze or anything of the sort nearby, but I need something to put pressure on the wound at least…

I looked around, but there was nothing else I could use.

Until I looked down and saw the clothes I was wearing, or at least what was left of them.

Screw it, Alex needs this more than I do, besides they were already cut apart.

I tore off what remained of my sleeves and tied them around Alex's wounds, then I pressed down hard, hoping to stop the bleeding.

I did the same with the rest of my shirt and tried to patch Alex up as best as I can.

But without a proper first aid kit, there is little I can do.

"Na…. Nathalie…." Alex muttered

"Shhh, no need to speak, I'm here for you." I said.

"No… Listen…. Nathalie…. Thank you… You've been here for me as far as I could remember…. When I struggled with class, or when I was injured in the valley, you were always there for me, helping me through it all, making me see the bright side of things… I couldn't have asked for a better friend..."

I don't like how this sounds…

"Hang in there Alex, I'll think of something."

"Haa…. Haa… Haa…. _cough_ " Alex just barely managed to smile. "Still smiling? How do you do that?... I could never be as positive as you…."

"You can! You're smiling right now aren't you?"

Alex coughed and went back to her laboured breathing for a moment, then she spoke again.

"Nathalie… Since I can't keep our promise… How about a new one?"

"Hmm?"

"Since we can't go home together… promise me… promise me that at least you'll make it back home… To Octo Valley"

"What are you talking about? I promised we'd go home together and that's just what's going to happen! I never break my promises! We'll go back together."

…

I didn't get a reply...

"Alex?"

D-Did….

Did she maybe pass out from her injuries? T-that must be it right? Yeah it had to be, there's nothing else that could happen, right?

"Alex, wake up." I shook her gently, careful not to touch any of her wounds or burns.

This is bad, when somebody goes unconscious that alone is enough to call emergency services.

I heard a door open, Macrum's goons must be arriving to drag someone off to the torture room again.

Before they could do anything, I picked up Alex and rushed out the door.

"Hey! Get back in there!" One inkling said as she shoved me back inside.

"No, I can't! Alex needs help."

"I don't care, get back in there!"

I fell back into my butt, still carrying Alex with me, I quickly got back up.

"I'm not! I need to help my friend!"

I tried to run through these Inklings, but they were older and stronger than I was.

Everytime I tried I was pushed back down. Not only that, but one of the Inklings began radioing the others.

Soon, more Inklings and Macrum too, had arrived.

"What's going on here? Oh it's you again." Macrum sneered "haven't you learned your lesson?"

"It's Alex." I said, ignoring Macrum's words "She needs help. I-I can patch her up, i'm sure of it!"

Why did I stutter a bit there?

Could it be, that even I wasn't sure of myself anymore?

Macrum took one look at Alex, then he yanked her out of my arms, letting her fall to the floor like a ragdoll.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, but Macrum didn't care.

"Tch, she's dead. Toss her out with the rest of the trash." Macrum ordered.

"No, wait! Don't write her off yet! We have a promise to keep,"

"I don't give a damn about your promises. Look!" Macrum kicked Alex around.

"Stop that!"

"Accept it! She's dead."

"No she's not!"

"Oh?"

I felt Macrum force me down to Alex's face.

"Then why isn't she breathing? Why doesn't she have a pulse?" I heard him say.

No…

It can't be…

I felt something, something in my eyes.

It was trickling down my cheeks.

Macrum however, suddenly looked pleased.

"Yeah that's right, she's dead because of you. If you had screamed like a proper Octoling she wouldn't have taken both your punishments!"

I didn't mean for that to happen!

"All you've been doing was making things worse for everyone. Nobody likes you, not me, not those other Octoslobs and not this dead girl."

So it was true…

What Jake said, what Alex had gone through… it was all my fault!

T-there has to be a good side to this r-right? T-there always is! I want to think of something but...

Why can't I just brush this off? Why can't I smile anymore?

Why are there so many tears coming out of my eyes?

I heard a quick clap "There it is! That's the face I was to see! Cry! Cry! Cry! That's what all you Octarians should do. You murderous bastards don't deserve to smile!"

Cry? Should I really cry? Well at this point I couldn't help it. Just like how I couldn't help Alex…

...

"You're right…" I say. There is nothing I can do to hold it in now…

"...I don't deserve to smile."

I tried to cheer Alex up, put a smile on her face and filled her with hope, only for this to happen.

I tried to stay positive here, thinking it was the key to everything, but it only made everyone hate me.

What the hell was the point of positivity if this is where it got you!? I really am a dense Octoling…

…

…..

….

I don't know how much time passed until I stopped crying.

I never looked up, instead I got a great view of tears landing and slipping down Alex's corpse.

Macrum watched with great pleasure until he had enough and kicked me back inside the basement with the other Octarians, leaving Alex's body with me.

Even though they had probably all seen what just happened, I didn't see anyone come and comfort me...

Alex is gone.

I'm stuck far from home.

And nobody cares about me.

This was something new… Never before in my life have I ever felt so neglected, so insignificant, so helpless, so…

…

Alone.


	3. Interlude 1: Alexsandra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here is the first interlude, these are shorter than the main chapters and will always be released a day after a main chapter upload, they are told in third person and skim through events, sometimes showing or explaining the things Nathalie may have missed. though this first one didn't really have much to reveal.

Alexsandra and Nathalie…

Despite being born and raised in Octo Valley, the two had high hopes for the future and were inseparable.

After all, they were both the same age, shared similar interests and had a similar view on Octo Valley.

Instead of looking at the awful living conditions and rallying to Octavio's promises that everything could be made better if they conquer the surface, Alex and Nathalie looked at Octo Valley and saw room for improvement.

Even with the all too common accidents which take the lives of innocent Octarians each day…

In the end, this was the only place for the Octarians to live, so no matter how bad it gets, you can only suck it up and keep going.

Therefore instead of trying to conquer new land, Alex and Nathalie believed they should just make Octo Valley better.

Unfortunately for them, things would take a turn for the worse.

What was supposed to be another normal day for Alexsandra and her longtime friend Nathalie turned to disaster.

Both Octolings woke up in an unfamiliar place.

Little did they know what awaited them.

Nathalie, being her positive self, constantly believed everything would work out.

But Alex, she thought differently.

She knew they had been kidnapped, she knew there was little chance of them ever seeing Octo Valley again.

That was pretty much confirmed when Alex and Nathalie first encountered Macrum, who proceeded to beat them for his own pleasure.

They were battered and bruised almost all over that day, Alex hadn't had such a painful experience before.

Yet Nathalie, for some reason, managed to keep on smiling.

"Hey cheer up! At least it's over, plus there isn't anything that will leave a scar." Nathalie told Alex.

"Nathalie, you…" Alex was in awe, Nathalie had gone through the same thing as her right? But how come she wasn't crying? Wasn't she also in pain?

Alex knew that Nathalie was always trying to stay positive, despite being an orphan living in Octo Valley but this….

This was incredible.

Alex rapidly wiped away her tears, if Nathalie was going to hold on to hope, then she could too.

"There we go! No need to cry, just have some rest, you'll feel better soon."

"There isn't really any place to rest…"

"Just lie here."

That was pretty much how their first day on the surface went.

That night, Nathalie and Alex were told by the previously kidnapped Octarians about their predicament.

They were told to give up hope and that they would be stuck here for the rest of their lives.

For the next few days, Alex would be dragged away, beaten and tossed back into the hidden basement, yet Nathalie would always run to her side, smile and say that things would get better eventually.

Then a while later, this happened

"You... Just what did you do?" The Octoling named Jake had become furious towards Nathalie.

"W-what do you mean?" Nathalie replied

"Why did you have to piss off Macrum even more?!"

"Huh? B-but I was just trying to help?"

"Help!? Are you serious? He dragged you out of Octo Valley and used you as a torture toy and you're trying to help him?"

"Hey Jake, leave the kid alone, she didn't mean to make things worse." came the voice of a Twintacle who had never been named.

But Alex didn't really hear that last part, because she was too busy taking in what Nathalie had just said.

She was trying to help Macrum.

Despite him doing nothing but torture them each day Nathalie wished to get though to him and maybe change his view on Octarians.

Just how? How could Nathalie have such a mindset?

She doesn't even care about all the pain she's going through, instead she's trying to help even Macrum.

Was this that Stockholm syndrome Alex had heard about?

' _No' Alex thought 'I don't think so, Nathalie had always been like that. Back in Octo Valley, she would show great levels of concern even to complete strangers who appeared hurt. It's just who she is.'_

"You can't blame her for being kind, that's just how she is." Alex told Jake.

' _Yes that's just how she is. Positive, kind, friendly… But that doesn't really make things better… does it?'_

She wanted to stay positive just like Nathalie, but she couldn't.

As soon as they were left alone, Alex couldn't help but ask.

"We are never getting out of here, are we Nath?"

"What do you mean? Of course we will. If Macrum hates us for something that happened in the past, all it will take is some more time and he'll get over it, I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yes, we'll be back home in no time."

"Do you promise?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you promise we will return to Octo Valley together?"

"Yep! I promise."

That was enough to lift Alex's spirits back up.

She would definitely think of something.. Right?

Alex wasn't sure, however she was certain that she could believe Nathalie.

The two had known each other for so long and would always support one another.

* * *

Unfortunately things only got worse from there.

Nathalie's positive demeanor didn't help at all, not when Macrum wanted to see pain.

All it did was put him in an ever worsening mood.

He began to beat Alex and the other Octarians with even more brutality.

He began to make them work like slaves around his villa to tire them out, before whipping them around again.

Everyone except Nathalie.

Because the sight of her smiling face infuriated Macrum even more, so he had her locked up in the basement while he took his anger out on the others.

"Tsk, I never expected that new girl to be such a sellout." one of the other Octarians said. "Annoying Macrum so that she's spared from this? What a selfish brat."

' _Huh? Are they talking about Nathalie?'_ Alex wondered

"Nah that's not it, she's just slow. I bet she doesn't even realize she's been kidnapped."

"Well that would explain the stupid smile that never seems to leave her face."

' _They are definitely talking about Nathalie.'_ Alex concluded.

"You can't say that about Nathalie. She's just… trying to make the most of a bad situation."

"I don't even think she sees a bad situation." That was Jake speaking.

Alex watched as pretty much everyone else agreed.

They all came up with their own explanation for Nathalie's strange behavior, some said she was beyond retarded while some slightly kinder theories involved Nathalie just trying to save herself and knowing full well what she was doing.

"You should know her the best. What do you think?" asked the unnamed Twintacle.

Alex was surprised to see him joining in on this conversation as well, after all her impression of him was someone who was more reasonable and humble compared to the rest.

"I… It's rude to be saying things like this behind her back you know." Alex replied

Nathalie would never purposely make things worse, and there is no way someone who had top grades in every class could possibly be called retarded.

Alex thought that but she didn't say it, there were just too many voices against her at the moment.

Perhaps they saw something she had missed?

"Nathalie always said that if you smile, the rest of the world smiles with you, that's just what she's trying to do here." Alex added

"Meh, well someone's gotta make her realize things aren't as simple as that." Jake replied

"I'd hate to admit it, but I agree." said the Twintacle. "It's for the best. Someone should break it to her now before she really gets hurt."

What were they going to do?

"Hey! Leave Nathalie alone! She's trying her best to make things better."

"Well her 'best' is only making things worse for all of us. You should have noticed it already, or are you as dense as your friend?!"

Alex sighed, she wanted to defend Nathalie, but she knew there was some truth in what these other Octarians were saying.

It wasn't Nathalie's fault… Was it?

Maybe it was.

Alex didn't want to blame Nathalie, but everyone else seemed ready to do so…

And they said something about Nathalie being hurt if this continued.

If anyone could talk to Nathalie and change her behavior, it would be Alex.

"... I'll tell her... She'll believe me…. I'll go talk to her when I can." Alex declared.

That got everyone else to back away from Nathalie.

Later that day, after they had all been battered again, Alex asked Nathalie if she had been doing anything to put Macrum in a worse mood.

"Why would I do that? You know me, I'm an optimist, a glass half full type of Octoling, why would I ever try putting someone in a bad mood?" Nathalie replied.

Alex grinned just a little, she already expected Nathalie to say that.

Unfortunately it only showed that Jake and the other Octarians were right, Nathalie seemed oblivious to the fact that she just couldn't make things better just by smiling. That might have worked in Octo Valley, but not here.

What an awful place this was…

"Nathalie, I don't like this, I want to go home."

"I don't like this either, but hey, at least we got to see the sky. Besides, now that we have to work around the villa we have a rare chance to explore a luxurious and modern Inkling home."

"Heh heh, sniff. I guess you are right." Alex weakly replied.

Nathalie then distracted Alex by talking about the various things she had seen while being forced to clean the villa.

Alex ended up playing right along.

Even if Nathalie wasn't aware of things getting worse, she still wanted to cheer Alex up.

Alex, who had been told to give Nathalie a wake up call and force her to face the truth, ended up backing off.

How could she bear to hurt someone like Nathalie? Someone who always wanted to help, who was strong and positive despite the worst of conditions, who was always by her side...

"There you go, don't see this as misfortune, but rather a rare opportunity!" Nathalie continued.

It was like Nathalie had her own personal shield, which protected her from the horrors of the world around her.

' _Even if I tried to explain, Nathalie would probably put a positive spin on it anyways.'_ Alex concluded. _'Besides, being exceedingly positive pretty much defines who Nathalie is. Just what would she be if that was taken away?'_

In the end Alex didn't say anything to change Nathalie's view. Instead she continued to watch in amazement as Nathalie continued to remain optimistic in a gloomy situation.

* * *

Eventually the two tried to escape the villa, only to fail when they ran into some local law enforcement under Macrum's payroll.

That made Macrum deliver some horrifying punishment to Alex and Nathalie.

However when he had barely started, Nathalie smiled again, responding to Macrum's insults with compliments.

She didn't know it, but because of that, Macrum found no joy in beating her up as she would always smile through it.

So he had Nathalie removed and turned all his anger and frustration on Alexsandra…

In the next few moments, Alex was kicked, burned, cut, whipped and choked.

She screamed so much she nearly lost her voice, she cried until she could no longer produce any tears.

Finally she was tossed back into the basement, where Nathalie ran to her aid.

Unfortunately it was too late.

Nathalie didn't have enough to save her, she tried to treat Alex as best as she could but it was hopeless.

Alex could barely move, she let alone speak.

Things were slowly becoming a blur.

There was no hope left for her.

Yet Nathalie remained, still believing she could make things better.

Alex watched as Nathalie attempted to patch up her wounds using strips of clothing.

Nathalie was stubborn yes, but to Alex that's why she was amazing. She would not give up on her own beliefs, she would not abandon her mindset no matter what happened. Even now, as Alex lay horribly mangled, Nathalie still smiled and tried to help her.

Alex wished she could have been more like her, but of course not all wishes come true.

Because very soon, she would be dead.

With no other options, Alex thanked Nathalie for being her friend and finally she had one last request.

"Since we can't go home together… promise me… promise me that at least you'll make it back home… To Octo Valley"

"What are you talking about? I promised we'd go home together and that's just what's going to happen! I never break my promises! We'll go back together." Nathalie insisted.

As expected, Nathalie was stubborn.

Alex wanted to stay a little longer, just long enough to see things work out in the end, that way she could go knowing that her friend wasn't a fool like Jake and the others had claimed.

She wanted to talk a bit more, to give some words of encouragement to Nathalie so that she wouldn't give up on returning home.

But she just could not find the strength to do so.

' _Nooo, this can't be it, I have so much I wanted to do…'_ Alex thought

' _I want to see Octo Valley made safe, I want to see the kettles powered up again! I want to see Pete, and everyone else! I-I want to go home! I don't want to die! Not yet! Not now!'_

Things had blurred so much that she could no longer see Nathalie's face.

Alex slowly tried to blink, hoping it would clear her vision, maybe even wake her up from this nightmare. But as soon as her eyes closed they remained that way.

They would never open again.


	4. Alone In This Bright New World

I didn't sleep for days after that…

Alexsandra, someone I had known for so long, who was brave enough to make a friend despite Octo Valley discouraging it, who would laugh, whine and smile with me...

She was dead.

I had filled her with hope, I tried to keep her spirits up, yet I was too stupid to realize that by doing so, I was setting her up for an even harder fall.

Seriously, why didn't I see it coming? Why was I so obsessed with smiling that I ended up not realizing that it was doing us no good?

Poor Alex… It should have been me...

She probably had dozens of regrets and dozens of dreams when she died.

Heh… Maybe I deserve this… This mental and physical torture...

The pain from Macrum's whips poles and burning pokers.

The guilt of knowing that I had gotten my best friend killed.

The isolation, being left alone to mourn surrounded by those who didn't give a heck about me.

Isn't there someone who could get me out of this mess? Do I really have to deal with all this alone? I don't want to! I don't want to go on by myself...

* * *

How long has it been since I was brought here?

Octarians are supposed to have an innate sense of time but now even I've lost track of it.

I think it's been over a year? Maybe two years have passed already?

Everyday is now the same, I get up, I get fed barely enough to survive, I get beaten and I get thrown back down here…

No wait, there was something different.

That room that Macrum uses to torture us Octolings, it has a new piece of furniture…

A nice clear glass case, as large as two aquariums, containing Alex's rotting corpse.

Macrum makes me stare at it everyday, just to remind me of what an awful friend I had been.

Awfully stupid too...

I really messed up…

Things aren't so simple that they can just get better by staying positive and waiting.

Sometimes they are so complicated you don't know what to do, so you just let the days roll by.

I've given escaping this place some thought, but honestly it doesn't seem worth it.

Alex and I learned the hard way, that local law enforcement might be under Macrum's payroll, if he has that much influence there is no telling what else he can do.

Even if you do escape, where are you supposed to go? I've tried figuring out where I am, but I can't.

We aren't in Inkopolis as it's too remote, it looks more like a countryside out there…

Since no Octarian has been to the surface aside from spies and disguised recon ship crews, there is no way any of us common folk could know what is out there.

Then there is the matter of food, how in the world are you supposed to recognise anything edible when you've lived underground your whole life?

So let's recap, if I tried to escape, I'd have no idea where to go, no clue on who to trust, and no way to sustain myself.

In the end, I've come to the same conclusion that Jake and the other kidnapped Octarians have come to: Don't bother trying to escape, it's not worth it. Just sit back and whither away.

…

..

.

NOT!

Sure I'm helpless and alone here, hated by both the other kidnapped Octarians and that Macrum, but that doesn't mean I should give up just yet… Right?

Still, if I'm planning to get out of here, I have to try and learn more about my surroundings, but the way things are now, I won't learn much.

There is also the question of escaping in the first place...

Well actually I have been trying to come up with a solution for that. Even though everyone else, even the Octarians who were kidnapped after me, say that there is no point trying to escape, that hasn't stopped me from at least thinking of a way out.

I mean just idling away each day isn't very productive, besides I have a promise to keep.

Yes Alex wanted me to make it back to Octo Valley, she said that since I couldn't keep my original promise I should at least make it back. It's hard to forget what she said considering it was pretty much her last words...

Oh well, enough musing about the past and the future, I should return to the present.

Ever since I tried to cheer up Macrum, he became even more angry, so he's been forcing us kidnappies to clean and maintain his villa in addition to the usual torture time.

Even though he could clearly afford a housekeeper he still makes us do this work, just so that it's even less pleasant when he beats us afterwards.

Oh well, I've gotten used to this maid work by now.

Once again I was forced to clean the floors, and without the proper tools too, I scrubbed using my bare hands and wet paper towels.

As I did so, a glint of metal caught my eye.

There was a coin lying in a corner, completely forgotten by its owner.

Now it isn't much, but every now and then I notice a coin or two lying around like that.

As soon as nobody was looking, I snatched the coin off the ground and hid it in my collar.

Over these past few months, or even years, I've been gathering them up and hiding them under the various carpets and mats in the villa's basement. I was concerned about someone finding them, but it seems that nobody ever checks underneath all that, so I'm all good.

You'd be surprised how much you can find lying around, I guess when you are rich enough to afford a private villa, you don't really notice a few coins missing. At least that works to my advantage.

I'm hoping that someday, once I learn enough about the area surrounding the villa, I'll have enough cash saved up to buy some way back to Octo Valley after escaping Macrum, his goons and the local police.

I just hope the other Inklings aren't as bad as Macrum.

I hear footsteps and notice two Inklings approaching me.

"Sigh… Alright, take me to Macrum."

The same routine as always.

Although I've gotten used to the pain and the sight of Alex's corpse by now, I still make myself look as depressed as possible.

A sad, lifeless look would please Macrum, so the torture will be over quicker…

Honestly, why didn't I think of that before? If I had done this earlier maybe Alex would still be alive…

…

Huh, I guess I'm not over mourning Alex just yet…

As usual I tuned out Macrum's colourful language as he hit me with a pool cue, though perhaps the reaction I gave wasn't good enough, because Macrum tried something new, he took the fire poker he normally jabbed us with and opened the case containing Alex's body.

I watched him poke prod and turn Alex's corpse, was this supposed to be a new way to make me feel bad? It's really just pissing me off a little.

I could lash out right now, but I can't imagine anything good happening to me if I did.

I'll just cry a bit... and before I knew it, I was dragged back down to the villa's basement levels.

I got up and placed a finger on my collar to check if that coin I found was still there.

Luckily it was, so I hurried over to one of the mats and stealthily slipped it underneath.

I don't think anyone saw me…

I glanced around, until I ended up meeting eyes with Jake.

"What?" I said and Jake immediately averted his glance.

If he had seen me stach that coin away…

Well I doubt there would be much trouble, it's not like he has any reason to take it for himself...

With a thump, another Octoling was tossed into the room, the Inklings who tossed her in moved over to Jake and took him away.

The cycle repeats over and over…

I've seen this so many times by now that I can pretty much guess what Macrum did just by observing the state of an Octarian as they stumble back to their feet and I bet the others can too.

For example the Octoling who was just thrown back in here, was coughing slightly and had a bruised and face, so she was probably strangled then whipped in the face, or the other way around.

See, we've all seen and been through stuff like that, it gets to a point where it doesn't really faze anyone.

No wonder nobody talks down here, there is nothing new to speak of…

I sat by and watched as Jake was thrown back inside and another Octarians was dragged off.

Then that Octarians would be brought back and another taken away.

Repeat the process a couple dozen times and then it's the end of the day.

By now, everyone here was hurt in some way or another.

Some had burn marks, probably from Macrum heating up metal objects and pressing them against their bodies. Others had cuts, likely from that fire poker Macrum loves to jab at us.

Some coughed from being strangled…

' _Cla cla cla cla'_

Huh that's a strange noise…

It sounds like clattering teeth, was someone cold?

I could see Jake shivering in his corner of this basement. Was he always doing that? I wasn't really paying attention until now.

The temperature wasn't any colder than usual… So why was Jake suddenly cold? Maybe Jake had a fever? Well that's not surprising, honestly I'm surprised there hasn't been more of us catching colds or fevers considering we are malnourished and often left with open wounds and torn clothes…. Meh… there is nothing we can really do about it, a fever is just the body's way of defending itself, no need to do anything…

…

' _Cough..'_

He's coughing too? That's normal I guess…

Coughing, shivering and sweating is all part of a normal fever…

…

' _Moan….'_

Even if he is uncomfortable, he has to deal with it. It's not like anyone can help him. Besides a fever will only last a few days, he will be back to his depressed skinny self in no time…

' _Cough…. Shiver…..'_

Why am I trying so hard to turn away? Why do I feel the urge to go over there and check on him?

He didn't like me, nobody here did, I was just some foolish girl who made things worse by smiling all the time…

That's right, nobody came to my side when I was crying, none of them checked on me, nobody comforted me when I was kicking myself over Alex…

…

I watched Jake turn over, hugging his knees trying to get warm despite not having much to keep him that way.

I know a fever isn't usually serious, I've studied this stuff back in Octo Valley, but still…

… Alex and I both wanted to help Octarians in need, right now Jake seems to be in need of help.

Perhaps I'm still holding on to some hope that I can still pursue that goal again….

If that's the case, I may as well take this opportunity to practice… Though I doubt anyone would call for help over a fever…

You know what? I think I'll have a look, just cause...

I walked over to Jake, who as usual, did not react at all to my approach.

"Something wrong?" I asked

"No" came Jake's instant reply.

"Really? Cause it looks like you've got a fever."

"Since when can you see a fever?"

"Well I can see you shivering, you look uncomfortable and I can hear you coughing. It seems alot like a fever. Let me see."

I was about to put a hand on Jake's forehead but he swatted me away.

"Leave me alone, I'm just cold."

Leave him alone? Well if that's what he wants…

No wait, I really shouldn't….

Part of me does want to just leave him there, but I also want to try and smoothen things out between me and the others.

I guess for now, I'll just do something to help him feel warmer.

First I look around, anything that could maybe keep him warm.

Me and the other Octarians are all wearing tattered and torn clothing, so even if someone were to lend Jake an extra shirt or something, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.

Still it wouldn't stop me from asking…

"Excuse me, does anyone here have any spare clothes I can borrow?"

Unsurprisingly nobody replied.

Well that didn't work...

Could there be a warmer part of this room?

I look up, searching for a vent.

Surprisingly there happened to be one right above Jake, though it was blowing out cool air.

"Hey, If you're so cold, why are you lying right beneath the vent? Come on, move over to the other side."

"Just leave me alone." Jake insisted.

"Sure, just move away from the vent first, I don't want to hear you coughing and sneezing in the middle of the night."

"..." Jake slowly crawled away from the vent and curled back up again, still shivering.

"There, now leave me alone." he said, he is such a grouch, no wonder nobody ever talks to him.

Before I left him alone, as he so badly wanted, I wondered if there was something here that could warm him up.

Since nobody had any clothes to spare, I had to think of something else…

Hmm…

Could a rug be used like a blanket?

The floor here was covered in various floormats and rugs.

I made sure to check each one of them and find the softest one.

Of course, all of them were rather rough and dirty, likely because they had never been washed since I got here, but some were softer and fluffier than others.

I picked up a rather soft bedroom rug and tossed it over Jake, making sure the soft and fluffy side was left underneath so he wouldn't wake up to scratched and rough skin. I mean sure I could do it for a bit of payback for shouting at me before, but Macrum is already torturing us enough.

Let's just leave things as is.

"Thank you."

Huh? Did I really just hear that?

I looked at Jake, who by now was facing away, curled up underneath the rug

I could have sworn I heard him thank me…

Nah, it's not possible, he and all the other Octarians here blamed me for making things worse back then, I doubt they'd just forget about that so quickly.

But maybe soon, if I give it some time…

Maybe I'll get along with everybody and smile once again.

* * *

I should have learned not to be so hopeful by now…

Jake's fever didn't seem to stop, he was still shivering, though by now he didn't move much.

Macrum's daily torture wasn't helping either.

But it had to be getting better somewhat, after all Jake stopped sweating like he did before.

"Feeling better yet?"

Jake shook his head.

"Still not feeling well? This isn't right, normally you should have recovered by now…" I told Jake

"Blame it on Macrum and those other Inklings, I'm not getting any better."

"It's too early to say that. Here, let me just check…" I reached out to Jake's forehead, this time it seemed like he wasn't against it.

Jake made no motion for me to stop as I placed my palm on his head.

?!

"What the!? That's not normal!"

I don't think I've felt anything that hot before, Jake's fever definitely didn't die down.

Not only that, but his head felt incredibly dry, far too dry… Actually now that I've taken a closer look, I can very clearly see just how bad it was.

His skin wasn't only dry, but also rather red and swollen, as if he had been scratching himself a bit too hard.

I'm pretty sure this is something life threatening, forget the irritated skin, if Jake isn't sweating, he can't cool himself down.

No wonder he was burning up.

Okay, let's put everything else aside now, this was something too urgent for me to ignore…

"Jake, I know you still feel cold, but you should probably lose the rug."

If he stays cooped up in that, he won't be cooling down soon.

Though I don't really know what else to do, I didn't make it this far in studies! Before I was captured I had only learned some basics and memorized a few case studies!

"Dammit… What should I do here?"

"... Don't bother, things like this are bound to happen."

"You're not wrong, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored."

"Seriously… You're from Octo Valley too, shouldn't you be used to things like this? Octarians like us die everyday of various unnatural causes. This really isn't such a big deal."

"It is too me!"

Ahh… Why am I like this?

Everybody else has given up, everyone else has been reduced to nothing but empty husks of Octarians, who are just sitting around waiting to die. Why am I the only one who still cares?

I know Alex told me to make it back to Octo Valley somehow, but does it really make that big of a difference?

I guess it does…

I've been blaming myself for everything, but because of that one last sentence spoken by Alex, I still have the resolve to get home…

Maybe it's because of that, I don't want to let go of my past goals, the ones I had shared with Alex...

"In Octo Valley, it's been long accepted that everywhere is unsafe and almost everyone will die before accomplishing anything, that's true. But despite that we still try to live for something."

I'm pretty sure Jake knows what I'm talking about, he may have been unpleasant to deal with, but he did mention a dream of his own.

"Didn't you say that you wanted to be a soldier? That you wanted to show all of Octo Valley that the army isn't just for female Octolings? That was your dream right?" I continued "Well I have a dream of my own. One I plan on getting back too once I get out of here. I want to save everyone, I want to give everyone the chance to live on and someday be happy, it doesn't matter if I became a paramedic, nurse or a doctor, as long as I could help, someday all of Octo Valley would be filled with smiles. So for the sake of that dream, please let me help you now."

I think that was the most I have ever spoken since being captured.

It was probably the most anyone has ever spoken after resigning to their fate as one of Macrum's torture toys.

I continued to think of something that could help Jake.

If he was having a fever this bad then perhaps there is some sort of infection... But something that would trigger a response from the immune system this serious…

Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be some sort of disease…

"Do you think I can still make it?" Jake suddenly asked.

"Of course, it's just a fever, as long as-"

"Not that, do you think I can still go back home and join the army?"

"Huh?"

Why was he suddenly asking me this? I don't know a thing about the army.

He's staring at me so expectantly… Like he is hoping for some great news…

Hoping?...Hope?

I don't know anything about the army, but I was the type to stay positive and never give up hope, that was up until Alex passed away…

Does Jake expect me to return to my stupid self who filled Alex full of hope?

Well… It's not like I hated smiling… but isn't this a bit forced? Then again I was already forcing myself to smile when I got here…

Fine… Just this once.

"Sure! It's never too late if you try hard enough! With a proper workout routine and proper meals, I'm sure you'll make it into the Octarian army!" I said, flashing a smile at Jake...

No wait, I shouldn't be doing this…

Didn't this get Alex killed? Didn't this only infuriate Macrum more?

Speaking of Macrum… his goons should be arriving any moment now to start dragging us away for torture or forced labour…

…

A few minutes later I hear their footsteps, a sound that I should dread to hear, but not anymore thanks to becoming so numbed to torture…

Wait a second… I can't do anything here, but if I can maybe convince one of them…

Nah, they didn't help Alex, why would they help Jake? Because he is still alive?

"Sigh"

I hate the idea, but I can't think of any others so it will have to do.

As the two Inklings moved to grab the nameless Twintacle, I cut them off.

"Take me instead."

I have to try and make a deal.

Instead they shoved me aside.

I got back up, I'm not going to give up so easily.

I blocked their path and stood in front of the Twintacle before being tossed aside again.

Being so poorly fed for so long doesn't exactly give me strength… No matter, I'll just keep trying!

I could see one of the Inklings radio for help again, just like the last time I had made a fuss.

I should remember that, it seems like whenever somebody gets aggressive they will call for help.

Soon more Inklings along with Macrum showed up.

He frowned when he saw me getting in the face of one of his men.

"Hmph, didn't you learn your lesson yet? Or have I been too kind lately? Pipe down Octotrash before I really lose it!"

Well he's cranky as ever…

It's fine, I've been meaning to talk to him anyway.

"Jake over there is sick, can't you have someone take a look and help him?"

"Why would I care?"

"You don't, I know. But it's not like you have a reason not to. While Jake is being treated I'll take his place… Hell I'll take everyone's place! You think you've been too kind lately? Then don't hold back, spend the entire day choking burning and cutting me if you like! I'm an Octoling so you hate me just as much as everyone else here, so go ahead and let yourself loose!"

I'm sure I'll survive whatever he could possibly do to me… If things get too bad I can always go back to smiling, thus stripping him of the satisfaction and making him stop.

I'm sure I'll be fine…. Maybe…

I stared Macrum down, it looked like he was trying not to grin yet failing, he obviously liked the idea I put in his mind.

"Well that was unexpected, though not unwelcome."

I felt the other Inklings grab my arms, taking me away.

This won't be pleasant one bit, but at least this way maybe Jake can get some proper treatment.

* * *

"Gasp….. Huff….."

I can't feel anything…

I've been electrocuted, beaten, almost drowned…..

It's like the world is spinning around me.

I can't even find the strength to stand up.

Macrum really did spend the whole day torturing me.

A few times it got so bad that for the first time ever, I pleaded with him to stop, but that only encouraged him to continue.

Why did I agree to this!?

I'm still alive, but it feels like I'd be better off dead.

No! I can't die! Not yet! I can't break my second promise.

"Huff… So… Tell me… Is Jake going to be okay?"

"Who's Jake?" Macrum replied

A chill went down my back.

"The Octoling with a serious fever! Weren't you going to get him some help?!"

"Really? I don't recall agreeing to that."

"You…. But….. But we had a deal!"

"What are you talking about? Is there some contract I had signed which obligates me to listen to you? No!"

This couldn't be….

Then what did I spend this whole day suffering for?! Nothing?!

I watched Macrum standing over me, with a wide smirk on his face.

I want to punch him so bad! This racist lying scumbag!

"Listen here, you have no power here whatsoever. If I felt like doing this to you on a daily basis, I could, there's no one to stop me and there's nothing you can do about it. Your kind doesn't threaten us anymore. I could shit on you if I wanted to and you'd be powerless to stop it. So don't ever think an Octoling like you, could ever make me do anything! Got it?"

Why did I even try to ask him for help?

Why did I let myself suffer such pain?

Damn you! If you hate me so much just kill me and be done with it!

There was nothing I could do as I was thrown back into the basement.

Jake still had an abnormally high fever and now I was too weak to even check on him.

I can't do anything more today, I'm not even going to get up.

I lay in the exact spot I had landed in, I don't have the strength to move around.

I'll have to wait till tomorrow to be able to do anything.

* * *

Even after a night's rest, I wasn't feeling much better.

I thought hard about what I could do to help Jake, only to find myself questioning why I even bothered to help him in the first place.

Didn't I learn my lesson with Alex? Don't be so stupidly positive and hopeful since it will only make the fall worse?

I forced myself up.

Jake was still curled up under a rug, his fever not dying down in the slightest.

Why did I tell him there was a chance he'd go back and join the army? Now I'm going to feel even worse if I let him die.

There has to be something I can do, but what?

Maybe the money I've been saving up could be used here? No way, Macrum is already rich, I can't bribe him with pocket change...

I felt a poke on my shoulder.

It was that Twintacle with no name, did he want something?

"There isn't much you can do, I'm sorry."

I shook my head, there was always another way, there had to be…

The Twintacle stayed beside me.

"You didn't talk much for these past two years, what made you act out again?"

I shrugged "Well I thought I had accepted what you all have, that there is nothing we can do besides die. But I guess not, I never was the type to give up so easily…"

"I see."

The Twintacle looked around, it felt like there was a lot of attention directed towards us.

I followed and looked around for myself, the other Octarians were all staring my way.

"What did I do now?" I ask, but nobody answered

I bet they are all talking about me behind my back again, probably telling each other I shouldn't be trying to help Jake, or probably pointing out how stupid I am for letting Macrum torture me for an entire day.

"Nathalie…" the Twintacle spoke again. "Yesterday you said you planned on getting back to that dream of yours once you got out of here."

"Yeah, so what?"

"Does that mean, you actually have a plan to get out?"

Do I? Well I certainly could think of a way but…

"I do, but it's not a good one."

Should I explain it to them? I doubt anyone would snitch me out…

I walked around, lifting corners of rugs and mats, pulling out the various coins I had collected over the years.

"I was thinking of buying my way back to Octo Valley, but first I'd have to slip out again."

It would be tougher to do so, since Macrum had his guards be much more vigilant ever since Alex and I almost escaped once before. However I was hoping I could get someone riled up enough to distract the Inklings for me. I probably shouldn't tell them that…

The Twintacle and other Octarians stared at the pile of coins I had. Apparently it was quite a lot…

"You know, I was wondering if I could buy something to help Jake with this… But it's no use if I can't get out of here..."

"You were planning on coming back!?" The Twintacle exclaimed

I didn't actually say that, but I can see how easy it is to infer that from what I said.

"Well it's all just 'ifs' and 'maybes' I don't think I can actually get out on my own."

"Can I help?"

…

"What?" Now I'm pretty sure I didn't hear that right.

"Uhh... I said, can I help?"

"Really? You'll help? But why?"

"I guess it just feels like the right thing to do."

"B-but well… the only way I can think of escaping, involves you causing a ruckus like I did yesterday and you'll have to do it while I'm being forced to clean the mansion."

"No problem, I can do it." The Twintacle accepted such a task so readily.

"I can help too." said an Octoling.

"Me too." said another.

Just what was going on? What brought on this sudden change of attitude?

Did they forget how much they disliked me?

"Are you sure you all want to do this? You know I could just run away on my own and not come back."

"But you won't, right?" The Twintacle asked

Well sure I won't, I couldn't bear to leave Jake behind in his current state but.

"How would you know? Why are you all trusting me so easily? I thought you all hated me for pissing off Macrum when I first got here."

"What? Uhh, I think there is some misunderstanding…" The Twintacle exchanged glances with the other Octarians.

"We don't hate you, I mean sure we were a bit angry at the time, since you made the torture worse, but that's in the past. All of us just wanted to let you know that smiling wasn't solving anything."

"You don't hate me? But how come none of you ever talk to me?"

"Uhh, haven't you noticed? Nobody here talks cause we're all just stuck here waiting to die."

"And what about back when Alex passed away? How come you all just left me there?"

"We couldn't do anything, Macrum was there laughing and recording you cry for hours."

Oh…

So all this time, i've been keeping my distance, thinking that these guys hated me, but actually they didn't?

Wait, but that means…

"So you are really up for this? All of you?"

"Yep"

"Of course."

Nobody denied it…

I can't believe this, I might actually be able to save someone!

"Okay then, like I said I want you all to cause a commotion, one so serious that it will draw in everyone's attention."

"No problem, I can handle it."

"So can I."

"Me too."

All of a sudden, they were all agreeing with me…

Is this just how we are as a species? We accept the poor conditions we need to live with, yet we still try to help each other when we can?

Heh… I'm so glad to be Octarian.

"Alright, so once I'm out, I'll use the money I've saved up to go buy some medicine, maybe I'll also ask about Jake's symptoms."

The Twintacle agreed "Good, but just a word of advice, try not to tell anyone about what Macrum is doing here. If they are Inklings I doubt they'd believe you."

"I wasn't planning to, I already know Macrum can pay off law enforcement. But umm, a bit of a problem, I'm not sure where to go once i get out."

"Hmm, from what I've heard we are somewhere between a place called Calamari County and Inkopolis." One Octoling said

"While I was washing windows, I've seen some Inklings running errands drive off to the left and muttering something about Inkopolis, so I guess it's in that direction." Another Octoling explained.

Wait, Inkopolis is to the left from here?

Last time when Alex and I escaped, we just ran straight, no wonder we never found anything...

"Well I know Inkopolis is a pretty big city, so they will definitely sell all sorts of stuff there, I guess I'll go there."

"Good idea, but are you really going out like that?" someone pointed out.

"Should I really worry about my appearance in a situation like this?"

"Yeah, you'll look extremely suspicious wearing clothes like that."

My clothes were a mess, being ripped and burned by Macrum didn't do them any good, I was pretty much wearing strips of leather and cloth at this point.

"Here, take this." Another Octoling said.

She had a jacket that was damaged, but not at all as badly as my shirt.

I thanked her and put on the jacket.

"Well then, that's everything covered. The Inklings should be coming for us soon, are we all ready?" The Twintacle asked

"Wait…" muttered a weak sounding voice.

Jake was awake and watching us.

"Nathalie… if you're going out there and coming back… could you maybe buy a weapon of some sort?"

"W-weapon?" I thought I was just going to buy medicine!

"Yeah… buy something small so that you can hide it, but buy more than one if you can…"

There's only one reason he'd be asking for such a thing.

"Do you maybe, want to fight your way out of here?"

"If I do, there's no way the Octarian army won't accept me. Haha…"

Oh my gosh, Jake is smiling, he is actually smiling!

"I'll do it! I'll be back with something." Ahh why did I agree so easily?! I'm not a smuggler!

Still, being able to see Jake smile like that, it makes me feel proud.

"Good…" Jake muttered

Okay so the other Octarians are creating a diversion and I'm slipping out to buy weapons and medicine, seems easy enough…

"You're all set right? Once we do this, there is no turning back." I asked the Twintacle and the other Octarians.

"How many times do I have to tell you, we are ready. We'll do this."

I just wanted to be sure.

Finally I can do something worthwhile…

"Nathalie, before you go, can I just say that... maybe I was wrong, you aren't making everything worse and… you aren't the dense Octoling from before." I heard Jake say

It's nice to hear that, but I think he is only saying that because I helped him out.

"I don't think so, I was still stupid enough to ask Macrum for help."

"That you did, but everyone makes mistakes right? In fact I think I made one two years ago I shouldn't have blamed everything on you. Sorry for that"

So it's really been two years huh?

I guess it was about time I got along with these guys, we were all stuck in the same situation after all..

"Apology accepted."

I guess a bit of kindness really does go a long way…

A while later, those Inklings came in dragging away one Octoling to be tortured while the rest of us were put to work.

"You, get that toilet sparkling."

I was forced to clean the washroom, luckily it wasn't too far from the front door, in fact it was the closest room to it.

I heard the Inklings try to assign the other Octarians to other tasks, but as planned they started to complain and fight.

"I'm sick of doing this! Tell Macrum to wash his own dishes!"

"Screw the windows! Who keeps dirtying them anyway!?"

"Hey pipe down! All of you! You wanna get whacked! H-hey! Stop that!"

"This is getting out of hand! We need some help over here!"

I could hear something along those lines.

The Inkling watching me hurried over to see what was happening.

This was my chance.

For the second time, I slipped out of Macrum's villa.

I thought he would have added some sort of safety measure, but I guess he couldn't do so without making his place look suspicious.

I sped out the door, across the front yard and transformed to octopus form to slip through the gate.

I was out! But not yet free, I still have to come back.

For now I should hurry.

I ran to the left, following the dirt roads until they eventually became tarmac.

It was a cloudy day today, so I didn't have to suffer the burning sun as I hustled down the road.

Eventually, I reached a bus stop, I had put some considerable distance between the villa and I and I had some coins to spare so I decided to wait for a ride.

It seems like Inklings share the surface with plenty of other creatures, because the map taped to the bus stop was written in the universal language instead of the Inkling one, so I could actually read and understand it.

I decided it would be much quicker to take a bus to Inkopolis.

I waited for some time, a few jellies arrived at the bus stop and waited as well. For a moment I thought about talking a little, but I figured I should keep quiet unless spoken too.

A while later, a bus arrived, an Inkling was sitting behind the wheel, greeting the Jellies as they boarded and paid.

For a moment I hesitated, but then I realize this bus driver probably can't just turn around and drive me back to Macrum without pissing off all the other passengers.

So I guess it's safe for me to board...

Though I was still hurting from yesterday and tired from running, I didn't manage to rest.

Last time I did such a thing while riding a vehicle driven by an Inkling, it brought me back to Macrum, I won't do that again.

I'll stay wide awake till I arrive in Inkopolis.

As I was waiting, I checked my pockets, the jacket given to me was filled with coins of different sizes. I counted them all, ten thousand cash, though I'm uncertain of the value of Inkopolis currency so I'm not sure if that is alot or not.

By the time I looked up from counting, I was deep inside Inkopolis

When I finally got off the bus, I was amazed.

The city of Inkopolis was extremely lively, it was filled with Inklings of various colours, along with other sea creatures too. In fact I think I could spot some Octolings here...

Buildings extended to the skies, they were covered in bright advertisements or tv screens.

A duo of what was surprisingly an Inkling and an Octoling were featured almost everywhere.

The inhabitants here looked happy, they chatted and smiled, some holding phones or fast food.

What a great place! I hope Octo Valley can reach this level someday.

No wait, I'm not here to sightsee, I have things to buy.

Medicine and weapons…

Let's see... where am I?

There was a crossroad with signs on it, the one pointing in this direction read 'Inkopolis Square'

There was another pointing to what was apparently a galleria.

I should go there, hopefully there is a weapon shop or a retail pharmacy there…

As I walked through the galleria, I noticed there were quite alot of armed Inklings here…

It kinda made me nervous, why did so many Inklings carry weapons?

There were more armed Inklings featured on the TV screens, they were having some sort of mock battle?

"As tower control falls to the pink team, this looks like a good chance for Neon to put that E-liter range to good use! Oh no! She's been spotted! Aurip leaps from the tower and behind cover!"

That was some kind of accouncer? Was that some kind of sport?

"What a move! That bubble blower was just a ploy! Aurip completely panicked! Neon takes back the tower!"

No, I shouldn't focus too much on that.I have important business.

I ignored the shouting announcers and other Inklings and looked around the shops. There were shops for shoes, clothes, headgear and finally, weapons.

I guess I'll check one thing off the list.

As soon as I walked inside, I was greeted by a small horseshoe crab with buck teeth.

"Hello Hello! What weapon are you in the market for? Hmmm? You don't look familiar. A new squid on the block looking to turn some heads!?"

Squid?

The crab wore goggles over his eyes, I guess they don't help his eyesight.

"I'm Sheldon, and if you're looking to leave your mark on the turf scene, Ammo Knights is where you go!"

"Yeah I'm just here for some ink based weapons."

"Of course! Ink based weapons are the best around! Here's everyone's starter! The Splattershot Jr! Don't worry, it's alot better than it sounds!"

Almost immediately, the crab shoved a set of weapons in my face.

I picked up the weapon, I really don't know a thing about it, I never was into fighting after all...

"It's the classic entry-level Turf War weapon! a great companion for learning the basics of battle. It has a great rate of fire and efficient in use to boot. Plus it sprays ink so wildly you're bound to hit something!"

Sheldon was talking about the weapon, but I wasn't paying attention, my eyes had wandered off to other things he had in stock.

Jake wanted me to buy something small, concealable and in large bulk.

The Splattershot Jr was well… not what I would define as small, though it was smaller than most things here…

What was considered a small concealable weapon anyways? I really don't know…

I think I'll just buy the smallest weapon here, just to be safe.

"I'll take those!"

I pointed at a pair of even smaller looking weapons.

"Oh my! I see you've picked out a pair of Splat Dualies… Unfortunately I don't think you're ready to handle that."

"I'll handle it!"

"I'm sorry, but I just can't bear to sell those babies to someone so inexperienced. Come back once you are level four."

What the heck is level four?

"I don't have time, why does this have to be so complicated?"

"Sorry miss, but rules are rules. Don't worry the Splattershot Jr can get you there in no time. Go play some Turf Wars and you'll be ready in no time!"

What is turf wars?!

"I'm serious, I have to buy those. I don't know what levels or turf wars you are talking about. But whatever they are I'm not taking part. So just sell me those Dualies."

"Gasp! You've never heard of turf wars?!"

"Look, I'm new here and I really need something small and concealable, I'll buy as much as i can afford."

"No way! If you aren't playing turf wars then that makes this sale a whole lot more suspicious!"

Oh no, I can't be raising suspicion…

"Alright fine, so the turf thing was a lie.. But I really need those dualies."

"I'm not handing these out to just anyone, these babies are worth too much to leave in the hands of a rookie."

"What if I paid extra?"

"Overpaying to make up for levels? Hah that's new!"

Did he just agree to sell them to me if I overpaid?

"I'll do it!" I said! Slamming my hands down on the counter in front of Sheldon.

"Whoa! Easy there! I admire your devotion, but that was just a joke."

"A joke? You joke when it comes to business? Look just tell me how much those Dualies are."

"Two thousand four hundred cash, but that's not the issue here!"

I immediately dropped two handfuls of coins on the counter and rapidly sorted out seven thousand two hundred.

"There! That's triple the base price! I really need those now!"

"What a pushy customer… Just what could be so urgent that you can't even spare the time to turf up four levels?"

That Twintacle told me not to explain to any Inklings…

But this creature was not an Inkling… But he lives in Inkopolis…

Can I tell him?

"If I told you, you probably won't believe it." I snatched the Dualies set, slipped the weapons under my jacket and turned to leave.

"Hey wait! Even if you buy those, they won't let you use them in turf till you're the right level!"

"I'm not using this for turf! I don't even know what that is!"

"What? I thought you said.. Hey wait come back!"

I hurried out of there as fast as I could.

That purchase probably attracted a lot of attention, I need to leave before someone gets suspicious…

At least I managed to get a small concealable weapon just as Jake had requested…

Wait…

I counted my fingers as I recalled what Jake had asked for…

"Small… concealable and in bluk… GAHH!"

I blew almost all my money on just two weapons!

How much did I have left?

Only two thousand eight hundred…

Will that even be enough to buy medicine?

Dammit! Why did I get so caught up in buying weapons! I should have just taken that Jr thing…

I held my head in frustration.

Why was I so stupid!?

Huh?

There were Inklings eying me and muttering things…

I must look crazy, shouting like that and holding my head…

I should get a move on, quickly.

I hurried out of Inkopolis Square, searching for a retail pharmacy.

While I did eventually find one, I had blown through so much money that I could only buy one pack of extra strength fever relief…

It costed fifteen hundred cash…

Oh well, it will have to do.

I still have enough for a bus ride out of Inkopolis, I can continue back to the villa on foot from there.

Extra strength relief medicine like this would probably make Jake very drowsy, but if it can at least make him feel a bit better, he and the others could use the Dualies to fight their way out.

Then we can get him some proper treatment.

Please let this work…

I hopped off the bus at the last possible stop, then I continued on, back the way I came.

It was morning when I had left, now the sun had moved across the sky and it was afternoon.

I ran quickly knowing that the longer I'm gone the greater the chance of my escape being noticed.

However soon, something unexpected happened.

I saw smoke rising from the trees.

There were alot of trees near the roads next to the villa, could there be a forest fire?

No that shouldn't be… even if I know nothing about the sun, I doubt it can cause a fire on a cloudy day...

I passed the trees, but the smoke remained…

It wasn't the forest that was on fire… it was Macrum's villa.

What had happened here? An accident? Or was this intentional?

Did that Twintacle and those other Octolings cause this maybe?

What happened to them anyways? What about Jake?

I kept my distance, worried about what I might find should I inch closer.

Then I heard the sirens.

Loud noises buzzing in the distance.

Help was on the way, that's good, if they find Jake in there he would definitely go to a hospital…

No wait, this is bad for me…

Didn't Macrum have police on his payroll? If he could pay off cops, couldn't firefighters and paramedics also be paid off?

I heard the sirens getting closer…

What would happen to me if they caught me out here?

I need to get away! I have to hide!.

I dove back into the forest as fire trucks, police cars and ambulances sped by, going towards the column of smoke rising in the distance.

There was no way I could go there now…

Even though I just spent an hour running towards the villa, now I'm running away again.

I don't know where I was going, all I knew was that I had to put some distance between me and those sirens.

I don't know what will happen to Jake and the others, but I have no choice.

I'm sorry everyone you are on your own.

And me?

Well I'm tired and i'm stuck out in a world I know nothing about.

Honestly I'm a little scared...

No, it's more than a little, alot.

I don't know what to do.

I am trapped out here in this world…

All alone..


	5. Interlude 2: Macrum

"This is getting out of hand! We need some help over here!" A security guard shouted as he and his partner struggled to contain the five Octolings in front of him.

Macrum wondered what those things were up to now.

Yesterday that one girl Nathalie threw herself into his security, shouting that she'd take everyone's place for a day, today all the other Octarians were starting a fight.

If hearing them scream and cry wasn't so satisfying, Macrum would have killed them all years ago. They should be thankful.

' _Octarians didn't even deserve to set foot up here.'_

Macrum decided it was time to teach then another painful lesson.

He had been doing this for years, for decades since the Great Turf War, scouting out those who would do anything as long as the pay was good, sending them to kidnap some Octarians from Octo Valley and hiding them in one of his private villas.

Although some would call it cruel, Macrum believed in the end nobody would care. Octarians didn't deserve the rights that Inklings and other sea creatures had, they were always savage and inferior beings.

Just like back then…

* * *

About hundred years ago, Macrum was still a young boy.

He was six years old when his parents suddenly decided to have another kid.

"Say Mac, would you prefer a little brother or little sister?"

"A brother! A brother!" Macrum hopped up and down in excitement.

"Oh? What about a cute little sister?" his mother asked

"Nooo! Won't she have cooties?"

"No, but she will look up to you and be amazed by everything you do."

"Then I want both!"

It was a happier time then.

A few months passed and one day his father rushed him and his mother to a hospital.

"What's going on? Did something happen to grandpa?" Macrum asked, worried that the kind old Inkling he had known for so long might finally be leaving for good.

"No no." His father replied "We're finally going to see your little sister."

"Really! Yay!"

Indeed his mother was about to give birth to a healthy baby girl.

When they arrived at the hospital Macrum's grandparents happened to be there too.

They would look after him while his parents were busy with the newborn.

"Grandpa! I'm gonna have a sister!"

"Aww aren't you excited!"

"Of course! Mama says she'll be super cute! and look up to me! and won't have cooties!"

Everything was going great.

Soon young Mac would see his parents exit that hospital room and welcome a member to the family.

Yes, that's what should have happened.

But this wasn't a peaceful era.

The Inklings of Inkopolis had been having disputes with the nearby Octarians of Octopolis, regarding the rising sea levels.

As less and less territory remained, both cities were overpopulated and both governments were at each other's necks.

That day, without warning, the Great Octoweapons were plugged in.

Klaxons rang throughout the city, though far too late.

Macrum's grandparents hopped to their feet, holding Macrum's hand and leading him to the hospital exit.

"Wait! What's going on?"

"We are leaving Mac."

"What about mom and dad?"

"They'll be with us later! Hur-"

The Octarian army caught Inkopolis off guard.

By the time the alarms rang, the Great Octoweapons were already inside the city.

They attacked everything indiscriminately, including a certain hospital where a young Macrum had been eagerly waiting to see his new sister.

One moment, he had been happily waiting for good news, then suddenly he was running with his grandparents.

Then everything went black.

By the time Macrum came too, he was buried under the remains of the hospital.

Of course, he didn't know that.

All he could see was a mess of metal and concrete.

He called out "Mom!? Dad?! Grandpa?!" But nobody replied.

"A-anyone?"

There was nobody there.

Not knowing where he was and being left all alone, Macrum began to cry.

He would stay buried there for a whole day until the rescue workers dug him out.

As he lay in a temporary hospital set up by the local rescue workers and the Inkopolis army he asked to see his family. Unfortunately they were nowhere to found, because they had been killed in the attack.

It was a great shock to someone so young, to discover that somebody could be by your side one moment and completely gone the next.

By the time he had recovered and stepped back into the world, the great turf wars had begun.

A horrible conflict lasting over four years.

During that time Macrum was put in an orphanage, but was never adopted.

He refused to believe someone could just replace his real family.

As the war raged on, both sides had been using propaganda to rouse their nations into a patriotic fever.

Inklings and Octolings old enough to fight flocked to recruiting stations.

But what about those too young to fight? Those like Macrum at the time?

"Remember kids! When the alarm sounds, duck for cover at your nearest shelter! Make sure to stay with an adult, so you don't get lost!"

Macrum and some other Inklings watched as a TV program featured a cheerful looking sea turtle explained what to do in case of Octarian invasion.

He was taught to fear. To run and hide from Octarians.

Then as the great turf war entered it's later stages, the propaganda changed.

Nobody knew when it was actually going to come to an end, so both sides needed more sea creatures to join their ranks.

So both sides painted the other as villains.

As Macrum continued his life alone, he took in all sorts of messages discriminating against the Octarians.

There were recruiting posters with lines such as "Slay the eight arms" or "Takozones to Takoyaki."

There were new reports portraying the Octarians as an uncontrollable race who slaughtered, burned and raped their way across the land.

He believed everything he heard about the Octarians, there was nobody to tell him otherwise.

Awestruck by the Inkopolis army and angry at the loss of his family, Macrum took in every negative portrayal of Octarians that he could find.

Then finally, the war was over. The Octarians retreated underground and the Inkopolis army celebrated.

And soon things supposedly went back to normal.

Inkopolis rebuilt whatever was destroyed and carried on with it's normal life.

But Macrum didn't understand why.

Weren't the Octarians supposed to be the world's greatest evil?

Aren't they still dangerous since they are still alive?

Why did everyone seem so eager to move on from the war?

It never made much sense to him and it still doesn't.

A few years later there was much debate in Inkopolis as some companies began to experiment with zapfish technology.

The problem was that the Great Zapfish had been a symbol of worship for both Octarians and Inklings in the past, some more religious Inklings opposed the use of Zapfish as power sources.

Others pointed out how the Octarians had used zapfishes for the great Octoweapons and were afraid that Inkopolis could create even more destruction should they embrace zapfish power over traditional power eggs.

But young Mac? He was all for it.

The Octarians used the zapfishes to ruin his life, now they were no longer in a position to use zapfishes, yet Inkopolis was.

If Inkopolis would prosper even further using the very same zapfishes that Octopolis once used to destroy them, well it would be a big smack in the face for the Octarians.

And Macrum wanted that.

Working as hard as he could, Macrum invested heavily in anything Zapfish related.

He watched as slowly, more and more citizens around Inkopolis accepted the use of zapfish as a power source.

By the time he was twenty, Macrum already had more money than he knew what to do with.

Actually, there was one last thing he wanted, the complete eradication of Octariankind.

But such a thing was no longer possible as Inkopolis soon dissolved it's army as there was no longer an urgent need for defense.

With no other choice, Macrum settled for payback in a much more satisfying way...

And that brings us to the present…

* * *

In the present, Macrum swung his whip at the rowdy Octarians inside his villa.

How dare they even try to stand up for themselves.

His security helped, as pairs of Inklings pinned down the Octarians who had suddenly started to riot.

With every lash he gave, Macrum felt proud, he felt like he was doing something right, just like what all those posters and recruitment ads told him back when he was a boy.

Sure, now he was old, but he wasn't weak.

He revelled in watching these Octarians in pain and as they were all rounded back up, he took his time to give each and every one of them a proper lesson, a very hot and sharp one.

Finally he was done and returned to his living room.

Relaxed after that satisfying experience, Macrum lazed back into his sofa as he switched on his TV.

He felt happy, until a certain duo appeared on screen.

"Don't get cooked! Stay off the hook!"

Macrum had been switching channels, until he accidentally stumbled onto an Inkopolis News announcement by Pearl and Marina.

Macrum's eyes locked onto the image of Marina in his TV screen, the suction cups on her tentacles, the outline around her eyes.

There was no doubt about it, Marina was an Octoling.

"What the heck is this?!" Macrum couldn't help but shout.

"Is something wrong sir?" one of the nearby guards asked.

"Why in the seven hells, is there an Octoling on the news!?"

"Oh, that's Marina, she and her friend Pearl are known as Off the Hook."

"That doesn't explain anything! Why is there even an Octoling here to begin with?! Seriously, what's our government doing, letting Octolings up here."

"I don't know sir, maybe prime minister Steenson thinks it's time to make amends?"

"Pah!"

' _Making amends? Ridiculous! The Octarians are always up to something, that's who they are, violent, lying sacs of ink not worth anything. That Marina should be shot and replaced with someone else.''_

It made absolutely no sense to Macrum as to why anyone would try to make amends with the Octarians and even less sense that one would somehow become a celebrity here.

"You know, there have been other Octolings spotted around Inkopolis."

"What?! And I'm just hearing about this now?! Why is nobody even the least suspicious?"

"Well it seems like they are given a chance to live among us while being treated just like Inklings, in fact I think many actually believe Marina and some other Octolings are actually Inklings with fancy hair."

"That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard."

"Well I guess the hair should be a dead give away-"

"Not that! Giving Octolings a chance to live among us! You know they can't be trusted, they hate everything we stand for! Liberty, music, the pursuit of happiness…"

'I understand." the guard quickly replied, not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Well good, now let's hope the rest of Inkopolis remembers what the hell happened years ago!"

The discovery of Off the Hook put Macrum in a sour mood.

The knowledge that Inkopolis was being populated by Octolings didn't help it.

To Macrum, Octolings populating Inkopolis was no different from an invasion by the Octarian army.

He knew they were out there, lurking the in the depths of the earth, plotting to take over…

This whole attempt by the government to make amends was extremely stupid to him.

' _I guess politicians will do anything for a couple of votes these days…'_ Macrum concluded.

He wasn't a fan of Turf Wars and mostly spent his time on TV watching the stock markets, but today he switched over to the competitive Turf War scene to confirm what he had heard.

Surely enough, he could spot a few Octolings mixed in with the usual Inklings.

The way they cheered, fought and celebrated together was unnerving. Those young Inklings didn't seem to even notice that those teammates booyahing back were Octolings.

Then of course, the winning teams even danced a jig following their victories.

Inklings and Octolings hand in hand, laughing, shouting and having the time of their lives.

Sure it appeared to be a joyful scene, but Macrum thought otherwise, to him it was more like an unsuspecting school of fish being stalked by a shark.

Those Octolings were going to stab everyone in the back, Macrum was certain of it.

Why couldn't anybody else see it? Did they forget what had happened just decades ago?

' _As a kid I was taught to fear the Octarian menace, that the Octarains slaughtered, stomped and raped their way across the continent, leaving a trail of woe in their wake. Then the war ends, the Octarians hide underground and suddenly everyone is celebrating?! The Octarians are still out there! Yet nobody would listen to me! Now all of the sudden we are supposed to forgive and forget!? This is absolutely ridiculous!'_

Everything he had seen, heard and learned after he was left alone during the Great Turf War, remained fresh in his head.

' _Everyone might be acting all nice to each other now, but it's only a matter of time… The Octarians deserve no sympathy, you turn your backs and they will splat you. So if you can kill them all, you have to break them before they get a chance to make a move.'_

Macrum eyed the Octolings he had forced to work in his villa.

Someday the Octarians will make another move and when they do, everyone will applaud him for doing what he has been for the past fifty years.

Well he did at least admit that what he was doing, the beating and kidnapping of these Octarians, weren't entirely for the benefit of Inkopolis, a lot of it was just to satisfy more personal matters.

The Octarians had taken everything from him once, so he would to the same back, it was only fair.

They deserved those depressed faces they were making, some more than others…

Like that one Octoling Nathalie….

She had a smile, a mocking, manure eating smile when she first got here.

No matter what happened she would still smile and act all kind and understanding.

' _Those types of Octarians were clearly the worst, they could never understand what Inkopolis went through… Well that just made breaking her all the more gratifying. The tougher the challenge the greater the satisfaction of succeeding I guess.'_

After trying so much to make Nathalie cry, all it took was the death of one random Octoling and she was done, now she's accepted her fate just like the others.

Still, for Macrum, it was fulfilling to see her reduced to such a state, even if it had already been two years since her capture.

"Hey you!" Macrum called out to one of his many security guards. "Bring me that runt from yesterday."

He had been careful not to kill her off as it was far too pleasant to see her fall so far, but after hearing all this talk about Octarians in Inkopolis Macrum had to blow off some steam.

So what if a few Octolings died? They weren't anywhere close to Inklings. That's what Macrum concluded.

"Well?! What's taking so long?!" Macrum bellowed.

"Uhh sir, this is hard to believe, but we can't find the one you requested." One Inkling replied.

"WHAT?! Search every inch of this villa! Check anywhere that could fit an Octoling!"

"We already have squids combing every inch of this villa, but still nothing has turned up…"

That could not be normal, these guards should not be unable to find one girl.

Macrum wondered if perhaps he was paying these guys a bit too much, then he caught a glimpse of one of the Octolings he had imprisoned.

Could she have been listening?

Macrum hurried to his feet and sped around the villa, sure enough, Nathalie was nowhere to be seen.

There could only be one conclusion, Nathalie had escaped once before, she might have done so again.

Macrum kicked himself for believing that Nathalie was actually broken and would not have attempted another escape, but how could it have happened?

He pondered over it, then he recalled the ruckus from earlier, where all the other imprisoned Octarians suddenly wanted to fight back…

It was too much of a coincidence for this to happen on the same day of Nathalie's disappearance…

"She must have escaped while we were focused on the others…" Macrum concluded.

"What? Could she really have cooked up such a plan?"

Macrum glanced over at the remaining Octarians…

If this really was all planned, then they must all be in on it…

But why would they allow Nathalie to escape alone? How would it benefit them?

"No…" Macrum recalled all the Octolings who were supposedly populating Inkopolis now…

If Nathalie could get to them, maybe they will come back… Maybe they will splat him…

Maybe she'll bring the Octarian army back for another invasion…

There was so much that one Octoling could do alone, so what if she had gained support from the others?

"You, tell everyone that we are leaving." Macrum ordered.

He hurried to gather every flammable material he could find.

' _I refuse to let the Octarians ruin my life a second time!'_

Determined not to lose everything a second time, Macrum torched his own villa

When Nathalie returns, she will find nothing but ashes.

But that wasn't the end of it.

As long as she was out there, she was a danger to him and Macrum dreaded what the future might hold if he didn't act now.

When emergency services arrived and firefighters began dousing the flames, Macrum went over to an officer and told him that this was no accident, but foul play.

Of course, these officers were receiving money from him, so they wouldn't disagree, but they still had procedures to follow, so Macrum played along.

"You are certain you saw someone start the fire?"

"Yes of course! How else would it happen? This villa cost me billions and has state of the art fire suppression technology, no way a flame this large could have been accidental."

"Very well, please describe the creature you saw. This will be our primary suspect."

"Well it was rather pale skinned and dark red hair, though it could also change forms and swim in ink."

"An Inkling?"

"No it didn't look like one, I think the culprit… was an Octoling."

* * *

**A/N:** Well that should be enough to get this story going, I'll keep working on this whenever I have the time. You can probably already tell that this story won't be like my other ones, I am trying a few new things with the whole perspectives as well as angst genre, so give me some feedback if you notice anything that needs improving. Till the next update!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well that should be enough to get this story going, I'll keep working on this whenever I have the time. You can probably already tell that this story won't be like my other ones, I am trying a few new things with the whole perspectives as well as angst genre, so give me some feedback if you notice anything that needs improving. Till the next update!


	6. The Molluscs of Mercy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter could be called a filler chapter, it's a step down from how dark the previous two had been but I feel like it has to be here. I concidered separating this chapter, but it ended up being just over 10k words, it's pretty much equal to Chapter 1 in length so I kept it together. As usual the Interlude will be posted tomorrow.

Where am I now? I don't know.

The scenery around still reminds me of the countryside and not what I'd expect from Inkopolis.

I had been too busy running to keep track of my surroundings, then again where would I even go?

Back to the busy areas of Inkopolis? No, it doesn't seem like a good idea.

Besides, night was starting to fall, the day seemed to go by so fast. I escaped Macrum a second time, leaving Jake and the other captured Octarians in high hopes that I would return with medicine and weapons, but by the time I got back everything was on fire.

Did Jake and the others make it out? If so, where are they now?

What about Macrum, did he die in the fire?

…

It was almost like I wanted that to happen, but no, it's bad karma to wish such things upon others, even if it's him… As much as I dislike it, I should just hope that everyone made it out safely, even Macrum.

"Rrrrrrrr"

Ahhh! What was that? Is there some kind of wild creature out here? Oh wait... that was my stomach...

I didn't have any lunch, or dinner so I was hungry by now, unfortunately I have nothing on me but a few coins, a pack of fever relief and a pair of splat dualies.

'Sigh'

I don't have anything that could help me here, so maybe I should just get some rest wherever I can. It might be dangerous to wander in the dark.

I find a place surrounded by trees, I had never slept on grass and dirt before, but it couldn't be worse than sleeping in Macrum's basement.

I remove the ink tank and Splat Dualies I was carrying on my back and set them aside. They weren't much use to me anyways, I'm not about to start splatting others unless it's to protect myself, even then I wouldn't be much of a fighter.

Next I take off the jacket which one of the captured Octolings had previously lent me.

It was in relatively good condition still, so I folded it and set it down as a makeshift pillow.

With nothing to use as a blanket I lay down in the grass beneath the trees, these nights felt pretty warm so I don't think I'll catch a cold.

Looking up I can see the glitter of stars poking through the branches and leaves.

So that is what a real night sky looks like?

I had never been outside on the surface at night so I never knew…

Out of curiosity I crawled back up and poked my head out of the trees.

So many white dots in the sky! And that crescent shaped object over there, is that the moon? I have never seen such a thing before.

Should I feel glad to see such a sight despite being an Octoling?

…

Why am I even questioning it? Yes! I should feel glad but… I'm also worried. Being positive hasn't exactly helped since I got brought to the surface… If I let myself go…

No no no, I'm not about to change just because of one mean Inkling! I am still Nathalie, the optimistic girl from Octo Valley who will one day save lives with the power of medicine.

I should get some rest and stop overthinking things.

I lay my head back down on my jacket and closed my eyes.

"Rrrrrr"

My stomach was still growling now and then, but I can't help it.

"Go to sleep Nathalie." I tell myself "Yes that's it… sleepy time…"

…

After somehow falling asleep I woke up rather cold.

I guess even on warm nights, you will still feel cold after lying immoblie for hours.

I slowly get up, pick up my Splat Dualies and slip my jacket back on, the only way to warm up again would be to start walking.

I begin at a steady pace, with no idea where I was going.

I feel as if I should ask for help but if I do, I might end up talking to someone who works for Macrum.

What should I do here?

I've rarely had to wander on my own in Octo Valley and even when I did, I would either know where to go, or be capable of asking for help…

Well now I cannot possibly know where to go, but asking for help is… It's risky but it may be the best thing to do.

But who to ask?

I see a few cars speed on by every now and then, could I get their attention?

If I did, what should I say? I don't think I can openly ask for directions to Octo Valley, not after seeing how Macrum treated Octarians…

I know, you can't judge based on one individual, but still after living as a torture toy for the past two years, I can't help but be nervous around Inklings…

Well on the bright side, it's not just Inklings here…

Can I maybe talk to a jellyfish? Or some other kind of creature living here?

No wait, a jellyfish might actually be the best choice.

If I recall correctly, jellyfish are connected in a hive mind, although they sometimes do work for other creatures, they do not do it to benefit themselves as they have no individuality, no self interests.

Well that information is a hundred years old, as Octarians haven't had much contact with jellyfish since the war, but I doubt it will be very outdated.

Well anyways, it would probably be safer to speak to a jellyfish as they most likely cannot be bribed by Macrum, unlike those two Inkling policemen.

…

Just thinking about those two riles me up, I can't believe they sold out Alex and I for some extra money.

No no, that's not right, I shouldn't look at it that way.

I should just focus on the task at hand.

It's hard to see out here in the daylight, as I am not used to the sun but I can barely make out the occupants of approaching vehicles based on their general colours.

Inklings would likely be a blur of two different colours, one from their tentacles and one from their faces.

Jellyfish on the other hand would likely be a single coloured blur, that's what I should look for.

I kept a slow pace going as I scanned the horizon for approaching cars.

Finally there was one which matched the description of a single coloured blur behind the wheel.

I started to wave frantically at it, hoping it would stop and thankfully enough it seemed to be doing just that.

Great! Now all I had to do was ask for…

Wait, what should I ask?

If I just asked "where is Octo Valley" what would happen? How do Jellyfish view Octo Valley? Whose side were they on? I have no idea, I never studied war history!

Oh no, the car is getting closer while coming to a stop, what should I say?

Can Jellyfish even understand the universal language? Or are they all speaking Inkling now?

I should have thought this through!

The car came to a stop

"Greeting!" The Jellyfish said, luckily it was not in Inkling but the universal language, so it seems we can communicate.

Still what should I say? I can't stay silent for so long otherwise this jellyfish will just get annoyed and leave, but I can't mention Octo Valley.

Umm… what should I do?

I don't know many places in Octo Valley to begin with, there is just the university campus, a few supermarkets and the orphanage.

Orphanage? Do those exist up here?

"Is there an orphanage nearby?" I ask the Jellyfish.

The Jellyfish seems to understand, he points with one arm as says "Left at second crossroad, that is the direction"

Strange way of speaking, I guess even the universal language isn't very well practiced among Jellyfish.

"Thank you." I replied and waved goodbye as the jellyfish drove off again.

So orphanages still exist up here, I guess there are unfortunate creatures even on the surface. Hmm and it was pretty close by too, should I feel lucky?

Well if it's anything like the one Alex and I came from, whoever runs it must be friendly right?

But what if it isn't?

There is only one way to find out but…

Images of the past two years flashed back to me, Alex and I being beaten, Jake getting sick, Macrum's smug face as I withered in pain…

I don't want to end up back there, for all I know Macrum may even own the orphanage.

…

Well maybe it will be better than starving out here.

I recall that the weapon shop I previously visited was owned by a horseshoe crab, I had also seen other shops run by other creatures.

That means the chance of the orphanage being run by an Inkling on Macrum's payroll was minimal, it may not even be an Inkling running the place.

I guess the odds are in my favor, I'll follow the route that the jellyfish pointed out for me.

* * *

…

I had followed the path shown to me and it led here, to this humble building surrounded by fields and trees.

The structure itself was showing its age, though it was still not nearly as dilapidated as the orphanage I knew from Octo Valley. It had two floors, but was rather wide. But it seemed rather faded and was smaller than I expected.

Though maybe I just had high expectations of the quality of... well... everything here on the surface.

Above the front door stood a symbol which resembled the Great Zapfish, the words "The Molluscs of Mercy" formed a circle around the symbol.

I can hear voices nearby, though they sound young, very young, perhaps there are kids playing around behind the building?

Well so far I haven't seen anything that might be affiliated with Macrum so it should be fine, let's knock on the door.

' _Tap tap…'_

I hesitated a little…. Was that enough?

Nobody is coming.

I take a deep breath and knock harder this time.

' _Knock knock!'_

"Coming!" I heard a voice on the other side.

I took a deep breath as the door opened…

There was an Inkling standing there… Hmm… I don't know who is working for Macrum so I should be careful.

"Hello, may I help you?" the Inkling asked

She looked just a few years older than me and was dressed in navy blue robes with a veil of the same colour on her head, which featured the same symbol as the one plastered above the front door.

What a strange outfit, I have never seen such clothes anywhere…

"Umm I…"

Wait what am I supposed to say?

I can't just ask to stay here can I? I mean, I'm old enough to live on my own but that is too dangerous up here.

Could I maybe ask for a job here? But I don't have a resume on hand and I'm wearing dirty and torn clothes…

Hmm…

"..Yes?" The Inkling asked when I failed to finish my sentence. "You don't have to be nervous, what is it you have to say?"

I need to start being more flexible, I can't keep finding myself in situations like this… Wait what if I combined the previous two ideas.

"I don't have anywhere else to go. May I stay here for a bit? I promise I'll help with anything you need and won't get in the way."

The Inkling gave a confused expression "Hmm? You don't have anywhere to go? Where did you come from?"

Oh no! That was the one question I hoped they wouldn't ask...

"I…" I can't just say Octo Valley can I? "... Well… I…"

"Yes?" Inkling seemed to be urging me on with her eyes. Is she trying to get me to admit it so she could kick me out? Or what if she is just like those two police officers? Is she going to call Macrum if I say I'm from Octo Valley?

"Well what are you waiting for? Let the poor girl inside." Came another voice from further inside.

"Mother Superior!?" The Inkling jumped and turned around revealing a second Inkling…

Great timing! I'll take this chance to dodge that loaded question.

"Thank you." I say as I hurried inside.

Well now that I had a roof over my head maybe I can relax a little? No wait first off, who are these Inklings? I can't risk being sent to Macrum a third time.

Still, it felt nice to be out of the sun.

"Oh, you look rather red, have you been out in the sun for long?" The Inkling called Mother Superior asked me… That's just a title right? No way there is an Inkling with a name like that..

She looked genuinely concerned for me, despite having just met me... it was kind of sweet.

I nodded "I've been wandering around since morning."

Mother Superior gasped 'Since morning? Goodness you must be tired! Please have a seat. Taleesa go get her some aloe."

The other Inkling left upon Mother Superior's request, I guess that means she is the one in charge here?

Speaking of Mother Superior, she was definitely an adult Inkling judging by her skin and tentacles, she wore the same robes and veil as that other Inkling she called Taleesa.

Unlike Taleesa though, Mother Superior did not have eyes brimming with curiously nor did she ask me questions about where I came from, instead she simply asked if I was hurt in any way.

"No, I'm fine. I reply." Well the thing is, I've been beaten so much over the last two years that I've become somewhat numbed to pain so I don't really know unless I really take the time to look at myself.

"Well then, that is good. We rarely get visitors out here and it's the first time we've had one in your condition." Mother Superior continued

"My condition?"

"Yes, I didn't see any cars outside and there aren't any bus stops nearby either, so I assume you walked all the way here, not only that but your clothes are in awful condition… Oh my, am I prying too much into things?"

It seems that I was subconsciously giving Mother Superior a suspicious glare once she started saying those things.

I quickly shook my head, "No no, i-its fine!" I don't want her getting suspicious of me and asking around.

"Well I guess some things are best left alone, though I would like to at least know your name."

"Nathalie."

"Well then, don't worry Nathalie, this isn't Octo Valley, you don't have to be so nervous around these parts."

Was it that obvious that I was nervous? Also...

"Thank you.. Wait, you can tell that I'm from Octo Valley? So you know that i'm…"

Mother Superior knew what I was implying and nodded "I won't ask too many questions, I'm here to help those who are less fortunate not to play detective. In the meantime you are welcome to stay here if you like."

"Wait really? You'll let me stay even though I'm an Octoling?"

"Yes of course! The Great Zapfish accepts all, regardless of whether you are Inkling, Octarian, Salmonid or any other creature." Mother Superior explained.

She had a rather kind and gentle smile on her face, one that suited the "mother" part of her title, at least I think it does. I wouldn't know, I never actually met my mother.

"Thanks alot, I promise I will help out with anything I can." It's the least I can do for a proper place to rest.

"Well if you want to, then go ahead. But don't force yourself if you don't. As a clergywoman it's natural for me to look out for the unfortunate and not receive payment.."

She really is a kind soul.

"Ahh but perhaps it would be better if you kept your Octoling identity to yourself for the time being, there may still be some who aren't very accepting to Octolings."

"Yes.. I know that by now."

"Really? Did you perhaps go through something… No wait I promised not to ask. No need to worry, your identity is safe with me."

Not a moment sooner the Inkling Taleesa hurried back and handed a bottle of something over to Mother Superior, who then handed it to me.

"That aloe gel should help with those sunburns, I will go make arrangements for your stay. Taleesa please show Nathalie around." Mother Superior explained before leaving me with Taleesa.

Sunburns? I have never heard of such a thing before... Come to think of it, the back of my hands have been feeling odd, they also look pinkish, is that a sunburn? If so how come I didn't notice it outside? Hmm… It looks like a form of radiation burn...

"Excuse me, what is a sunburn?" I asked Taleesa.

"How do you not know what a sunburn is?"

"Well umm... The place I came from doesn't have any sun so I guess we don't really know about it…"

"What kind of place doesn't have any sun?"

Not again…

I don't want to say Octo Valley, I really don't. I think I can trust Mother Superior but this girl has yet to do anything other than ask questions.

"That's err, not really important, I just want to know what parts of me are actually sunburned."

"Oh… Well where to start… Your legs, your cheeks, your hands… pretty much every inch of your that isn't covered up."

"What?! It's that bad?!"

I started looking down at my legs, they had become pinkish as well, just like my hands.

"There's a mirror down the hall if you need it." Taleesa pointed towards back towards the front door.

"Oh umm thanks."

I walked in the direction shown to me and found said mirror, just to the left of the door.

For some reason Taleesa followed me.

No that aside, how come I didn't notice these "sunburns" before?

I applied the aloe gel to all the burned areas, they started to get itchy after that, but when I scratched them it started to burn again, so I guess I have to leave it alone.

I didn't know the sun could cause radiation burns like this. It seems like the bright warm sun isn't as great as it's made out to be…

Well for now I applied the gel to the burned areas as suggested, then Taleesa showed me around.

There were many more Inklings other than Taleesa working here, actually Taleesa was just a volunteer like a few others. The ones actually employed at this "Molluscs of Mercy Orphanage" were apparently some sort of clergymen and women.

The robes they wore must have had some religious meaning to it, I don't know. I've never been big on religion, mythology or omnipotent beings.

When we got to the backyard we saw orphans of various species running about, there were Inklings, crabs, shrimp, and even an anemone. What really surprised me was the ages of the orphans, there were plenty of different species here, but they were all so much younger than me…

Back at the Octo Valley orphanage there were Octolings of ages fifteen and up, here it seemed like everyone was around the age of ten, with the oldest being just under fourteen.

When I asked Taleesa on the matter, she explained how anyone could make a living past the age of fourteen up here… Lucky them, Alex would have loved to be independent at that age.

Alex…

"Is something the matter?" Taleesa asked

"Nothing, I'm fine…"

It seems like I let a few tears escape.

I can't keep wishing Alex were here every time I discover something new about the surface life… But I don't want to forget about her either…

"Did something bad happen on your way here? Is that why you are so dirty and tired?" Taleesa would not stop asking questions, it was annoying. I don't mind making conversation, but stop trying to get me to speak about where I came from!

"Can we just continue with the tour?" I really wanted to stop receiving dangerous questions.

"Right! Okay this way." Taleesa then showed me the kitchen, washrooms and various bedrooms…

Unlike the orphanage I knew in Octo Valley this one had proper bedrooms for everybody, sure some of the rooms were still shared between 2 or four kids, but it was much better than the single bedroom shared by the whole staff and kids back in Octo Valley.

Mother Superior actually managed to get me a room all to myself, it seems like this place has alot of free space.

Taleesa told me to make myself comfortable as dinner would be ready soon, then finally she left me alone.

I got nothing against her, but I'd rather steer clear of someone who asks that many questions. Not that I hate asking questions myself, but rather because it feels like that girl won't stop prying into me.

Well now that I have this small room to myself, I may as well settle down. I did go more than a day without food and have been walking for hours…

Ahh it's good to have a place to stay!

I was about to just dive into the bed, but then I recalled how dirty my clothes were. Spending two years sleeping in a cold smelly basement made me really appreciate a clean bed. I'd rather not get everything dirty by hopping in with clothes covered in dirt and sweat, I'll lie down later, maybe after dinner.

For now I'll just remove everything I can, specifically the extra coins, fever relief, Splat Dualies and everything else associated with it. Even though they didn't weigh much, I wouldn't be needing them here after all.

It wasn't long before I was called to dinner.

There was nothing but a simple stew of various ingredients, but to me it felt like the most wonderful thing I had ever eaten.

It was warm.

It was filling.

I felt a tad bit guilty asking for seconds, but after I told Mother Superior and the other Inklings that I hadn't eaten for over a day, they insisted I have another bowl.

Well I can't complain.

I promised that I would help with anything I could in return for shelter, but Mother Superior suggested I have a good night's rest first. She could tell that I was tired from walking for so long.

So I decided to shower and prepare for the night…

… There is a first aid kit stored in the washroom… If only I had something like that earlier…

I shook those thoughts out of my head.

Once I was done in the shower I removed my dirty clothes and immediately went to sleep and when I say immediately, I mean it.

I had been so tired from running and so uncomfortable in Macrum's captivity that I was out almost as soon as my head hit the pillow. Even with my numbed senses I could still feel how soft and warm this bed was, it enveloped me, comforted me and for the first time in years, I slept soundly.

* * *

When I woke up, there was light seeping through the curtains. I had expected someone to come wake me up since I had promised to help out, but it seems like nobody wanted to disturb me.

I was about to reach for my clothes but they weren't there, instead they had been replaced with a neatly folded set of navy blue clothes similar to those that Mother Superior, Taleesa and the other Inklings had been wearing.

They seem like pretty kind creatures, maybe they also noticed how torn and dirty my clothes had been and gave me a replacement.

With these navy blue robes and a veil over my hair, I really did look just like the Inklings working here.

Well now, these Inklings have given me a meal and a roof to sleep under, I better not keep them waiting.

I hurried down and ran into one of the orphanage staff carrying a load of laundry.

"Good morning!" I said with a smile.

"Good morning! But it's almost noon."

"Huh? Did I wake up late?"

"Oh don't worry about it. You must have been tried after your long trip to our humble orphanage, you don't have to push yourself if you are still tired."

"No, I'm wide awake now. Do you need a hand? I'd love to help out."

"Thank you, but I've got this. Though if you really do want to help, go look around, I'm sure someone would need a helping hand."

"Okay! I'll do that, thanks again for letting me stay!"

I already had a feel for where everything was, since Taleesa had shown me around yesterday.

I was about to go looking around, almost completely forgetting about breakfast.

Well it was almost noon, so it was more like brunch but oh well, I should eat while I can. I still need to grow after all.

Speaking of growing… I was definitely skinnier after being malnourished in captivity, but it wasn't as bad as how Jake was.

Jake… Did he ever get proper treatment for that fever of his?

Ahh no I can't keep musing over what is beyond my reach now.

"Sorry for sleeping in, Mother Superior." I said as I met Mother Superior sipping tea and watching the news near the dining room.

"Ahh you must have picked up that title from Taleesa or the others. Well you don't technically work here so you don't have to call me by that title, my real name is Bernice."

"Still, I'd rather try to fit in as if I do work here, so if there is anything that needs my attention, please let me know."

"Aren't you getting a bit too far ahead of yourself? Have breakfast first, then we will see if there is anything for you to do."

"Oh right, I almost forgot."

I should really pay more attention to the present instead of being distracted all the time. Besides, I don't have to worry as much as before, Mother Superior knows I'm an Octoling yet she still welcomed me here, unlike Macrum the Inklings here all look friendly. I don't have to keep thinking about those awful years I spent before.

For now I should do what I can to help these nice Inklings, I could also take this as an opportunity to meet new creatures and make new friends!

Yes that's it! This is not Macrum's villa anymore! I don't have to play sad in order to keep myself safe!

I had a quick breakfast consisting of toast and juice, then I walked around the orphanage, looking for anyone that needed aid.

It seems like everyone had something to do already, so I stayed out of their way.

A few little creatures ran inside chasing one another, the lead one bumped into me in the process.

"Sorry!" She apologized then she saw my face "Hmm? Who are you?"

"I'm Nathalie, I'm new here." I introduced myself to the little Inkling

"Oh he's coming run run!" another kid exclaimed.

A second Inkling ran in and tagged to one speaking to me.

"Gotcha! Catleia is it now!" He shouted before running back out.

The kid he tagged ran back after him.

Out of curiosity I followed them outside.

There was a rather large field out in the back of the orphanage, young creatures of various species ran around playing a game of tag, while another sat under a tree watching with envy.

Was that kid shy? Hmm…

I considered going over there to see if anything was wrong, but I noticed that the two kids I bumped into earlier had tracked dirt inside.

There was a broom near the door, probably there for this very purpose.

Since no one else was around and I wanted to help in any way possible, I grabbed it and sweeped the floor.

One of the Inklings working here walked by, then she saw me sweeping, smiled and left, was this maybe her job? Oh well that just means I saved her the trouble.

By the time I was done sweeping I peeked outside again.

The orphans were playing some other can now, which involved kicking a can or something.

Once again there was one kid left out, he appeared to be an Inkling, but why was he sitting out on the side like that?

"Hey Nathalie! If you aren't busy, mind helping me with lunch?"

That's a familiar voice, oh it's Taleesa…

I'm a bit cautious with her since she seems to ask a ton of questions, but I did say I would help with anything so I agreed and followed her to the kitchen where Taleesa brought out some frozen shrimp tempura and dinner rolls.

I don't really know what was going on here.

"Ever since they saw a seanwich on TV the kids have been wanting to try one, so I figured we try to make our own." Taleesa explained

Seanwich?

"You know how to fry the tempura?"

"I've never done it but I could try."

"Oh then in that case how about something else… hmm, I know! You can make a soup!"

"I don't really know any recipes…"

"Don't worry, this isn't a restaurant, just boil some water and add some stuff too it."

Well okay I guess.

Following Taleesa's guidance, I put on some rubber gloves and filled a pot with water, leaving it to boil.

There would be alot of mouths to feed so I should try and make as much as possible in one go, but what would go well together?

Maybe tomatoes? I just cut some up and toss them in once it's boiling…

I began cutting tomatoes while asking Taleesa if there were any parts I had to avoid.

I kept looking around and found some dried seaweed, I guess I could toss that in at the end.

Oh right! Eggs go pretty well with ketchup, so maybe they would go well with tomatoes too?

I cracked a few eggs into a bowl and battered them, the water started boiling by then so I tossed in the tomatoes.

Beside me, Taleesa was just finishing with the shrimp.

"So where are you from?" she suddenly asked.

I knew it was coming, but I still don't know what to say.

What if I just lied and said Inkopolis? It might work, but what if she starts asking about Inkopolis?

"I don't know, I just ended up here." I said, hoping she won't say something along the lines of 'That's not what I meant I want to know where you lived before you showed up here' and luckily she didn't.

"How does that work, did you just find yourself on the side of the street someday?"

"I don't know, I've been an orphan for as long as I could recall."

"So you've been just wandering alone all this time?"

STOP ASKING SO MANY QUESTIONS! You know what, if you are going to do that I'll start asking questions of my own. Yeah that will work, as the saying goes; a good offense is a strong defense.

"I guess I have. Why are you so curious?"

"It's just not everyday some girl in tattered clothes shows up here asking for shelter. How can't I be anything but curious?"

"Are you the youngest of the staff here?"

"I'm more of a volunteer, I come here on weekends and I'm here for like half a day on Wednesdays Thursdays and Fridays."

Oh good, she won't be here all the time, I really can't risk anyone finding out that some rich guy is after me.

"What about you? I guess you will be staying here from now on?"

"For a while at least. Until I figure out where I am."

"You should try visiting Inkopolis! It's not too far, you walk about a mile down the road and there is a bus which takes you the rest of the way. We could go there together sometime!"

I just met you yesterday! Why are you acting like we are suddenly best friends?

I turned my attention back to the soup, adding some salt and sesame oil on Taleesa's suggestion.

Mother Superior then called the kids back inside for lunch.

The little creatures ate quickly and rushed back out to continue their game. Well all except for one.

That lonely kid started staring at me midway through his meal. He averted his gaze as soon as I looked over at him though…

Hmm? There was something different about him... He looked a bit like an Inkling but different from the others…

I wondered if I should speak to him now, but he quickly finished his meal and ran off.

Now that the kids had eaten, it was time for me and the orphanage staff to eat.

I wanted to speak to some of the other staff in order to figure out more about this place or just the surface life in general, but Taleesa got even more chatty now that she wasn't working.

I had to endure a ton of questions about what my life had been, it's really annoying and also dangerous. I feel like I should keep my distance from Taleesa in case she ever discovers that I'm on the run from Macrum.

Well on the bright side, all that talking meant I could finish my lunch much quicker than her, so I left as soon as I could.

There wasn't much else for me to do, once again I ended up wandering around, occasionally meeting one of the orphanage staff or running into a kid.

They often ran around playing many variations of tag, though sometimes they also had fun with empty cans, sticks or other junk, though the staff would stop them if they ever did anything dangerous.

Meanwhile there was always one who was left out, although he didn't show it, he was probably sad to be left alone…

"Who is that?" I asked one of the staff

"Oh he was the most recent kid to show up here. I think his name was Roman? He never really talks to anyone."

Roman? That sounds a bit different from the names of other Inklings… Well I finally have the chance, so I should go speak to him.

Roman had returned to the same spot I first noticed him in, underneath a tree watching the other orphans play.

Judging from the shape of his body and colour of his skin, he was still a few years away from being able to change forms freely, so I assume he is around ten.

"Hello." I said, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes."

Didn't seem like a very chatty kid, well good as long as he doesn't ask me about where I came from.

"How come you are sitting alone over here? Are you hurt maybe?"

"No."

…

Just one word replies huh…

"Well then, I guess I was worried for nothing. Don't mind me." I considered just leaving but I can't stop thinking that there is something familiar about this kid…

Well instead of leaving i'll introduce myself then "I'm Nathalie, I don't have anywhere to go, so Mother Superior let me stay here."

Roman looked up at me intently, no wait, just like before he was paying close attention to my eyes, what was with that?

"Are you?"

Am I what? An orphan? Well yes, but not anymore since apparently I'm old enough to make a living by now.

Roman didn't say another word, instead he grabbed a tentacle from his hair and twisted it around.

No wait a sec, it was already twisted one way, he was turning it back over…

… To reveal a pair of suction cups on the other side.

'Gasp'

That's it! That's why something always felt off! Roman was not an Inkling, he was an Octoling like me!

Right! Back at Macrum's villa, all Inklings had a black line between their eyes, but Octolings don't! Why did I not notice it sooner.

I briefly removed the veil over my head, to show Roman that I was just like him.

He gazed up at me, then went back to staring at the grass.

I guess being the same species isn't enough to get him to socialize. Though I'm curious… Why is an Octoling like Roman here on the surface?

I didn't like being asked questions myself, but I really wanted to know.

"Did you also get taken from Octo Valley?"

Roman tilted his head in confusion, then shook his head.

He wasn't taken? Why is he here then?

"But how did you leave Octo Valley? Isn't it forbidden to leave?"

"My dad wanted to leave…"

He really doesn't talk much…

His dad wanted to leave? Is this one of the runaways I've heard about? There had been news stories before of Octarians who try to leave the Valley and are then caught and charged with treason. Or something along those lines… I didn't really pay much attention to that stuff since I never thought of leaving the valley.

"You're a runaway?"

Roman shook his head again.

He wasn't a runaway? Well what's he doing here? Why is he always sitting out here alone?

Why am I even making such a big deal out of this?

"... I wish there were more Octolings here…" I heard a mutter.

I kinda felt the same way, I can't really explain it but for some reason, I'd feel more comfortable standing near another Octoling rather than someone else.

I feel the same way huh… Well to be honest I am happy to find another Octoling here.

I sat down next to Roman.

"Do you miss Octo Valley?"

He shook his head again.

"Oh.. Well I do."

"You do?" Roman looked rather surprised to hear that.

"Yes, a couple years ago I was taken from Octo Valley by someone who hated me." I've wanted to talk about this for so long now, but I just couldn't, it was too dangerous. But it should be fine if I tell Roman right? He is an Octoling after all, plus he is too young to be working for Macrum and he is too shy to tell anyone else about it.

"These last two years have been painful…" I concluded."So I kinda miss Octo Valley… Even if it wasn't that good of a home."

Roman stared at me again, he still looked a bit confused. Well I can't blame him for not understanding, he is like what? Ten?

"Octavio was gone, then suddenly my dad had a lot more work. He kept talking about the surface and how we would go there once he had enough money… But there was an explosion and only I was able to come here…"

"Ohh… S-sorry to bring up bad memories."

I guess Roman's father was another victim of Octo Valley's unsafe environment.

"Do you have family? Will someone come for you?" Roman's eyes shone with a hint of anticipation… Strange, what was he thinking?

"I've been an orphan for as long as I could remember, I used to live in an Octo Valley orphanage."

"..." Roman looked away and stopped talking again, the anticipation was gone and now he went back to his dejected look.

Well at least I managed to get him to talk a little…

Hmm… he has gone back to gazing at the other kids who were kicking a can around.

"They look like they're having fun, don't you want to join?"

Roman nodded.

"Then go ahead? Why sit here?" I gave him a little pat on the back, he glanced at me, then back at the other orphans.

Roman stood up, walked towards the other kids, then stopped halfway.

He stood there for a while, then turned around, walked over to another tree and once again sat under it.

Hmm… He looked quite nervous, must be tough living in a whole new world all alone… maybe even scary.

I was about to walk over to him again, but I remembered that I was supposed to be helping out the staff. Plus I had to gather information on how to get back to Octo Valley, I can't be wasting time on this lonely Octoling.

…

I'll leave that matter to some other time, for now I will unfortunately have to go back to Taleesa and the other Inklings.

* * *

The next day I was up much earlier, therefore I was able to help prepare breakfast.

By the way, it turns out Inklings wake up later than Octolings, as I was up an hour before even the Mother Superior.

As I helped clean dishes after breakfast, my thoughts started to wander towards Roman again.

The kid was an Octoling who lost someone close to him and is stuck on the surface all alone.

He is just like me… I want to help him fit in, he definitely wants to, but is probably scared.

I should talk to him again later.

Taleesa wasn't here in the morning so I wouldn't have her following me around asking questions.

So without a nosy inkling girl behind me, I found Roman in his usual spot; sitting in the shade.

"Hi Nathalie…"

"HI, you still aren't going to join the others?" I could tell he wanted to, the look on his face showed it.

But once again he just shook his head.

Now if I was in his place, what would stop me from running in to join those other kids playing around?

"Are you maybe afraid of the Inkling kids?" I figured I would at least be cautious, but maybe that's just my time with Macrum speaking…

"Inklings are fresh…"

Wait what? No wait, if I hadn't had a bad start with Macrum I might be thinking the same thing, I shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"Oh so that's why you twist your hair like that…"

Roman nodded quickly, it seems like I got it right.

Is he just shy? Maybe he is sitting here waiting for someone to come talk to him? Something similar happened back in Octo Valley, one of the Octolings I knew was always sitting alone, Alex and I thought she wanted to be left alone but as it turns out she didn't. If that's the case I should give Roman another push.

"You know, you can't just sit here and expect them to come to you. Go over there, talk to them. I assure you things will be fine!" I said with a reassuring smile.

"Really?... But they all seem like good friends, I'm a stranger aren't I?" Roman asked.

"Everyone's a stranger at first, that's normal. Besides, aren't you from Octo Valley? That place was actually dangerous, if you can survive living there, then there is nothing here to be afraid of!" I kinda lied a little at the end there…

"Really?" Roman asked again.

I nodded "Just go over there and introduce yourself! This isn't Octo Valley so make some friends while you are here! Oh and perk yourself up too! You know how that saying goes? 'When you smile…"

"..Others smile with you?" Roman completed my sentence.

I hadn't said that in a long time… it was almost nostalgic to hear that quote again…

Hold up! I'm getting distracted, right now I gotta get Roman to go and make some friends!

By now I was beaming with a bit of nostalgia, Roman saw my face and he started to smile too.

Then he had a look of determination on his face.

"I'll do it!"

I watched him walk over to the other kids, who seemed to be playing freeze tag.

He spoke to an Inkling girl first, a moment later they halted their game and seemed to be discussing something.

Roman still looked a bit shy, but he was still speaking with the other kids, not just Inklings but also the shrimp and horseshoe crab kids too.

A moment later they all started running again, it seemed like Roman was it this time.

He ran around trying to tag others, although he was pretty easily outmanuvered by the Inkling, he was able to catch the crab.

It looked like he was having fun.

"Wow! Is that really the same kid? What did you say to him?"

Oh no, Taleesa is back, why didn't I notice her standing there?

Actually it wasn't just her, there were a few other Inklings with her.

Had they all been watching me?

"Hey don't just stare at me! Come on! Tell me what did you do?" Taleesa continued

I sighed "I just gave a few words of encouragement that's all."

"Wow you must be really good at it! He wouldn't even speak to me! I was worried he'd grow up a social recluse! What a relief!"

You know he is just a few dozen meters away, if he hears you he'll probably cry.

"Wahhh!"

See what I mean? Wait, that doesn't sound like him.

"Wahhh!"

Taleesa and a few other nearby Inklings hurried over to the source of the crying.

I'm not sure but it looks like one of the kids tripped while running and hit a tree or something.

I hurried over as well.

"There there Catleia, you'll be alright." one of the Inklings said.

There was a cut on the side of her face, I should do something about it.

"I saw a first aid kit in the washroom. I'll go get it." I said just as Taleesa was going to say something similar.

Before hurrying back, I opened the kit and quickly squeezed some soap onto a gauze pad.

When I returned I made sure to properly clean the area around the cut, then of course placed a band aid over it.

By then Taleesa and the others had calmed the kid down and she was back to playing with Roman and the others.

Then to no one's surprise, Taleesa started to ask "Have you used a-"

"I'll go put this back!" I declared before she could finish.

I felt a bit bad treating her like this, but I can't let my guard down, she could be another one of Macrum's goons for all I know.

* * *

By the third day, I had already gotten rather accustomed to this place and on the fourth I pretty much had a routine laid out.

I went around doing simple chores, such as helping with cooking or sweeping the floor.

"Wahh!" I heard another cry from outside and instinctively rushed out with a first aid kit.

Another kid had fallen and hurt himself.

"Wahh!"

"Geez you need to be more careful otherwise you'll keep getting hurt!" One of the staff scolded him.

I hurried over. "They are kids, it's in their nature to run around. Here let me help."

This kid had scraped his knee on the ground, once again I treated him and returned to my work.

Though there has to be something safer for these kids to entertain themselves with..

When I had some time on my hands I decided to take some paper and fold them into paper helicopters, something Alex once taught me when we were young.

I figured it would be somewhat entertaining for Roman, Catleia and those other kids and also safer than running around and into one another.

Just as I was finishing the first one, Roman sped on by.

He stopped when he saw me, then dashed to my side.

"Nathalie! Nathalie! What are you doing?"

Well well! He was alot more talkative than before.

"Paper helicopters, you throw them in the air and they spin and float down."

"Cool! Let me try!"

Roman seemed very full of energy now compared to before, he took the paper helicopter and proceeded to whip it against the wall.

"No no, there isn't much room in here. Let's go outside."

"Okay!"

As soon as we were outside Roman tossed the paper helicopter upwards, it slowed down, caught the air and began to spin towards the ground.

It wasn't super impressive, but it did get the attention of the other kids.

"What was that spinny thing?" one of them asked.

I decided to explain to them what it was and how to make it.

When I mentioned that some could float for longer depending on how it's made though, one kid said "I bet i can make the best one!"

That ended up in a somewhat friendly argument between them.

Probably attracted to the commotion, Mother Superior arrived and was immediately swarmed by Roman and the other orphans.

"Mother Superior! Can we make paper helicopters?!"

"Of course you can! Just make sure to clean up afterwards, you don't want to dirty your home do you?"

"YAY!"

As the kids all ran indoors in search of paper, Mother Superior walked over to me.

"You're fitting in quite nicely."

"Thank you! It's the least I can do for letting me stay here!"

"Oh no, you didn't have to do anything! Still I hear some pretty great things about you. If you still have nowhere to go, perhaps you could consider staying here as a full time staff member? Don't worry, I won't force you to worship the Great Zapfish or anything."

I was being offered a job?

"Really?! Thanks!... but… well… I made a promise, I have to return to Octo Valley someday."

I might have accepted it if not for the fact that I still had that final promise to keep. I might be safe from Macrum here but I still had to return to Octo Valley.

"Oh… Well it's all up to you. Stay here for as long as you need."

"Thanks a ton!"

"By the way, I noticed you seem a bit weary of Taleesa. Did something happen between you two?"

"No… it's just that well… she asks a lot of questions like 'where did I come from?' and I don't want her finding out that I'm… you know…"

"Is that all?"

"Mmhmm" I nodded in reply.

Mother Superior gave a light chuckle "There's no need to worry about her, she is just happy to finally work with someone her age. I told you, all are welcome here, she wouldn't hold it against you if you told her you are from Octo Valley."

"Did you tell her?"

"Good heavens no, I promised I'd keep quiet about that didn't I?"

"That you did, thanks for keeping it a secret. At this point there is alot I should thank you for."

"Don't mention it, I'm just doing my part. Also these belong to you."

With a kind smile, Mother Superior handed me a neatly folded set of clothes, they looked familiar…

"It took a while, but I fixed what I could in my spare time."

As if she hadn't done enough for me already, Mother Superior had tried to repair the clothes I was wearing when I had arrived.

"Thanks!"

"No need to thank me, thank the great zapfish for guiding you here! By the way, if you really wish to return to Octo Valley, I hear there is a way to get there from the central areas of Inkopolis."

"Inkopolis huh? okay!"

With that Mother Superior left again, I watched her walk away. What a kind and gentle woman, it feels like she would accept you no matter who or what you were and always be there to help. If I had met my mother, would she have a similar personality?

No wonder she runs this orphanage, she is perfect for it.

I returned to my room and left my now repaired clothes there, then I ran into Taleesa in the stairway.

She looks as if she was ready to bombard me with questions again…

…

Mother Superior said Taleesa was just happy to work with someone her age… If that's the case then I don't have to be so on guard.

Instead of always avoiding the question, I'll just say I don't feel like answering the next time Taleesa asks me where I'm from.

For now, I guess I could try and chat with her, I don't know how long I'll be stuck here so I may as well make friends with everyone.

Taleesa greeted me and asked "what's up?" so I told her about Mother Superior offering me a place here.

"Wow already? Did you accept? You accepted didn't you?"

"No, I still have places to go."

"What? So you'll be leaving soon?"

"I don't know, I just know I can't stay here forever."

"You haven't even been here for a week yet! Oh wait! Did you maybe have a better life before you got lost?"

A better life? I can't exactly say that… Octo Valley wasn't that good but I still want to return.

"Where did you come from anyway?"

There's that question again.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't, okay? Stop asking me that, It brings back bad memories." That and also I doubt I could tell her I'm an Octoling who was kidnapped by her kind.

"Okay okay, I get it, I won't ask again."

… Wait was it really that easy?

"Still, please don't leave too soon, it's kinda boring around here." Taleesa explained.

"What? It's boring without me cause no one else here is your age?"

"Not exactly, there is this priest in training who shows up now and then, he is just about our age but he is so devoted he can't go a day without talking about religion. It's kinda annoying…"

"Interesting."

"Not really, I think the air of mystery surrounding a wild girl who just showed up is way more interesting."

"Hey! Are you talking about me? I'm not wild, I was just lost. Besides I'm just a normal girl trying to keep a promise I made. That's all."

"A promise?" Taleesa looked even more curious now.

"I probably shouldn't have said that."

"Are you trying to find someone you lost? A family member? A secret lover?"

"You have a wild imagination that's for sure."

This could have gone on forever, but Taleesa and I both had work to do.

Still she didn't seem that bad actually, I was really worried for nothing.

Perhaps I didn't need to leave just yet.

As usual I helped Taleesa prepare lunch for everyone.

Sometimes Roman would run by to talk to me, he was alot more energetic now that he wasn't hiding in a corner all the time.

Other times, Taleesa and I would chat while we weren't busy.

I was needlessly worried before, but not anymore, the Molluscs of Mercy was a safe place for me to stay.

I watched Roman play with Catleia and the other kids, just in case one of them got hurt again.

Hmm… it should be dinner time soon, maybe I should go back inside and see what I could make for everyone…

As I passed by, I heard the sound of a news reporter again, Mother Superior must be watching TV again.

"-...With no idea on what could have possibly motivated the arsonist and still no clues on where they could be, police are expanding their search area."

Hmm? That caught my attention, was it news about Macrum's villa? Someone burned it down on purpose?

I approached the tv.

"Good afternoon Nathalie." Mother Superior said, noticing me by her side.

"Hi" I replied, watching the news reporters continue.

I had to know if anyone has found Jake and the other Octarains held captive!

"Further investigations have led to a more accurate sketch of the main suspect."

Who is it? I want to see!

"Once again police are urging to locals to be weary of anyone matching this…."

I tuned out the news reporter's voice as a wave of dread washed over me.

I stood frozen in place…

Right there, on the TV screen was a sketch of me…

Someone looked this way I looked beside me to see Mother Superior glaring at me, her previously warm and comforting expression now replaced by one cold and full with suspicion.

"It's not what it looks like!" I protested.

"Is that why you were here? To burn down Macrum's villa?"

"That's not true! I swear it wasn't me! I don't even want to be here!"

"Did you lose your way back to Octo Valley? Is this another act of aggression by the Octarian army?"

Why was Mother Superior suddenly acting this way? I thought she said she wouldn't pry into my history?!

"No! I'm not part of the army!… It was him! I'm lost because Macrum took me from Octo Valley!"

"But did you commit a crime, burning down his villa?"

"Of course not! Come on! Do I really seem that way? I don't know what happened, I was just kidnapped by Macrum because he hates Octolings and tortures us for fun!"

Mother Superior stood there, as if silently judging me.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" she spoke.

"What?"

"Do you expect me to believe that Macrum Harker is someone capable of doing such a thing?"

"You don't know him! But you know me!"

"You might not know this, but Macrum is not only one of the most influential Inklings alive, but also the most respectable. He's had a hand in every zapfish related development since the great war, his company brought clean renewable energy to almost every country on the surface and he is not a selfish man either, in fact most of our funding comes from his charities."

You must be kidding me!

"So just because he provides zapfish and runs a charity he's immediately innocent!? He's not a good guy! He locked me in that villa for years! Not just me either! There were a dozen other Octarians! He even killed some of them!"

Mother Superior however stood unconvinced.

"He has an amazing reputation. What you are saying is beyond ridiculous."

"IT'S THE TRUTH!"

I thought I could trust her! I thought I would be safe here! She even offered me a job just hours ago!

She was not fazed and continued "I'm going to tell the IPD that you are here. If you really are as innocent as you claim, then you should stay and explain yourself."

What?

The last time I encountered the IPD, they took me right back to Macrum…

Alex died because of that, if they get their hands on me… I trembled at the thought of it.

I can't go back there!

"Heh… You don't get it do you? Your IPD is corrupt! Macrum has cops on his payroll and maybe even others! That news story is all wrong! He could have burned his own villa down for all we know!"

"I'm sorry but I can't harbour a criminal. I'm calling the IPD now." Mother Superior said as she stood up and reached for a phone.

I wasn't going to let that happen!

I pounced on Mother Superior, I didn't want to hurt her, but I also didn't want to meet the same fate as Alex did.

I wrested Mother Superior for the phone, I have to smash it! My life depends on it!

"That's enough!" I heard another voice.

I looked up from Mother Superior and saw Taleesa.

She stood there holding a squid shaped cell phone.

"You too?..." I asked "Why? I thought we were friends?"

"We just met days ago."

Oh NOW you bring that up! Why didn't you think of that when asking me where I came from over and over huh?

"I heard everything and already called the cops. Nathalie you are crazy. If you know what's good for yo-"

"Screw you!"

I hurled whatever I could get my hands on at Taleesa, I saw a TV remote fly towards her and bounce off her head, making her flinch in the process, taking this chance, I ran upstairs.

I'm not going to wait here and end up back in Macrum's clutches!

There was a bag in the stairwell, probably belonging to Taleesa, I snatched it and dumped everything out as I sped up the stairs.

Hurrying back to my room, I tossed off the robes and viel I had been loaned and changed back to my old clothes while also equipping the Dualies I had, then I packed up the fever relief and coins I had from before.

I was about to run from here, but I recalled the first aid kit in the washroom.

If these Inklings are treating me like a criminal I might as well be one. I took the first aid and put it in the bag.

"Nathalie? What's going on?" I heard a another voice.

Roman must have come inside for a break or something, because he was peeking out of his room just on the other side of the hall.

"Roman, sorry but I have to go."

"What? Already?"

"Yes and you probably won't see me again, have fun here and smile for me okay?"

"Wait!"

Roman took something from his room and gave it to me, what was it? Some kind of candle holder?

"Something to remember me by, I don't want to forget about you, so please don't forget about me.'

Well I still had alot of space left in the bag I stole from Taleesa.

"Of course." I patted Roman on the head.

It felt a bit sad to leave him behind even though I only knew him for a couple days. Maybe because we're both Octolings stuck up here on the surface, but unlike me he could stay here and probably live an innocent life without constantly looking over his shoulder. I almost envied him.

"Roman? What are you doing there? Get away from Nathalie!" I saw Taleesa had run up to stop me after helping Mother Superior back to her feet. "Hey Nathalie! That's my bag!"

"I don't care!"

If you think I'm a criminal, don't think I'll be giving you back your bag!

Since Taleesa was now blocking the stairway, I ran back to my room, opened the window then changed into my Octopus form and squeezed through the netting.

As soon as I hit the floor, I changed back and ran, leaving the Molluscs of Mercy in the dust.

I heard some voices telling me to stop, probably Mother Superior and the other staff, but they didn't understand a thing.

If the IPD were coming, then I had to leave.

Where do I go now?

Well I can't stay here that's for sure, maybe I'll have to head for Inkopolis, it will be harder to find me if I'm part of the crowds there. Plus Mother Superior mentioned a way back to Octo Valley there.

Yeah I'll have to do that, it will be better than being caught again.

I ran with all my might, it should have been tougher now that I was carrying more items, but surprisingly it wasn't. I was well rested and fed these last few days so I ran faster than I did before.

…

'Sigh'

Just when I started to relax a little this happened…

Well, can't stop now… I'll have to continue on to Inkopolis by myself…

...and once again I'm all alone...


	7. Interlude 3: Bernice

**Interlude 3: Bernice (Mother Superior)**

On the surface, very little unnatural deaths happen.

With the existence of respawn points, the Inklings and other creatures of the world could no longer be killed by force, only by disease or age. As a result, families were rarely separated.

Therefore, orphanages such as the Molluscs of Mercy were a rare sight.

Even rarer would be the appearances of orphans who needed a place to stay. In fact some of them weren't actually orphans, but just children who were abandoned for various reasons.

Luckily for them, the Molluscs of Mercy had a Mother Superior who really cared about their well being.

Normally it is quiet here, there hasn't been anything noticeable since a certain purple haired Inkling girl escaped from the orphanage for unknown reasons.

That is until Nathalie arrived.

One of the volunteers, an eighteen year old full of energy named Taleesa had answered the door to find a rather unusual sight.

A girl who looked like an Inkling stood there, her skin red from sunburn, her jacket caked with dirt was left unzipped, revealing a white t-shirt which had been torn to shreds, sweat dripped from her head. It was very unusual considering the quality of life on the surface.

Nathalie's appearance instantly peeked at Taleesa's curiosity and she began asking questions as soon as she could.

"Hmm? You don't have anywhere to go? Where did you come from?"

In her curiosity, Taleesa forgot to even invite Nathalie in first.

Mother Superior had been watching as she was not expecting a visitor today, with only a small glimpse out the two she immediately figured out two things.

One: the person at the door was an Octoling

Two: they were exhausted.

"Well what are you waiting for? Let the poor girl inside." Mother Superior said.

Seeing how red her skin had become, Mother Superior immediately sent Taleesa to fetch some aloe, while she had a chat with Nathalie.

She discovered that Nathalie was lost and also nervous, perhaps she had been through tough times...

"Well I guess some things are best left alone, though I would like to at least know your name." Mother Superior asked

"Nathalie."

"Well then, don't worry Nathalie, this isn't Octo Valley, you won't have to be nervous around these parts."

"Thank you.. Wait, you can tell that I'm from Octo Valley? So you know that i'm…"

Mother Superior nodded, she had seen Octolings before and could easily tell them apart from Inklings even if they covered their tentacles.

But seeing how cautious Nathalie was about her identity as an Octoling… Mother Superior almost sighed out loud.

' _So the effects of the Great Turf War still linger on…'_

Someone should never be afraid to admit what race of creature they were.

"The Great Zapfish accepts all, regardless of whether you are Inkling, Octarian, Salmonid or any other creature." Mother Superior explained, as she offered Nathalie a place to stay.

Even though she was too old to be considered an orphan by the surface standards, Mother Superior was not going to turn down someone in need.

Nathalie was elated to have a place to stay and readily accepted, even insisting that she be put to work to earn her keep.

In response Mother Superior told Nathalie "Well if you want to, then go ahead. But don't force yourself if you don't." after all she believed that her role as a clergywoman was to help anyone who needed it and not expect anything in return.

Despite being told that, the next day Nathalie began helping out on her own volition.

Wearing the same religious uniform that the other staff wore, Nathalie took the initiative whenever she could, if there was dirt indoors she would sweep it away, if someone was doing laundry she'd ask if they needed help carrying it.

All in all, Nathalie fit right in.

She soon met another Octoling, a eleven year old named Roman.

Roman and his father had both planned to move to the surface now that Octavio was gone, unfortunately they did not have the money at first.

So his father worked hard, Octo Valley was in a state of disrepair so there was a large demand for labourers, unfortunately he would perish doing said work.

Without his father, Roman left for the surface alone, he was initially excited but very quickly became scared as he was overwhelmed by the surface life. He was found and given to the Molluscs of Mercy, however that did not comfort him in the slightest, he was still afraid of the various sea creatures who lived on the surface, so he isolated himself.

Until he noticed Nathalie, her face reminded him of Octo Valley. So when Nathalie finally had the chance to talk with him, he asked her if she was an Octoling as well.

Surely enough she was.

With just enough courage to talk and listen to another Octoling, Nathalie helped Roman fit in, all under the eyes of Mother Superior and the other staff.

There was also a time when Nathalie rushed to get a first aid kit when one of the kids got hurt. Her calm and quick way of treating the wound showed the others that she had experience with these sorts of things.

Nathalie rapidly became very liked by both children and staff at the Molluscs of Mercy.

So much that Mother Superior ended up offering her a permanent position among her staff.

Of course Nathalie declined it, then just as she was finally settling down, the news report came.

After previously reporting that Macrum's villa was burned down by an Octoling, this time the police had managed to create a more accurate sketch of their suspect that to recently recovered footage from Macrum's security system.

It was a perfectly accurate sketch of Nathalie.

Obviously that didn't sit well, Mother Superior could not harbour a criminal so she told Nathalie to calm down and explain everything to the cops.

Nathalie however was too afraid, haunted by her failed escape with Alexsandra, Nathalie took this as an act of betrayal and lashed out at Mother Superior.

But Taleesa, who had overheard everything called the cops.

Wasting no time, Nathalie ran from the Molluscs of Mercy as Taleesa and a few of the other staff shouted at her to return. But she would not, she had no reason to listen to them anymore, as she ran Nathalie wished she would never see them again.

* * *

Moments after Nathalie left, Roman and the other kids went back to playing around.

Mother Superior watched them, specifically Roman.

He had been found wandering the streets of Inkopolis and was brought to the Molluscs of Mercy by the IPD.

Ever since then he rarely spoke, always sitting on his own gazing expectantly at anyone who passed by.

Some of the staff thought that he preferred to sit alone, so nobody really tried to speak with him, until Nathalie.

Now Roman was running around full of youthful energy, laughing and smiling as he played with the other kids.

' _Nathalie was to thank for that. Well she did seem like a good girl, definitely not a wicked and heinous criminal…' Mother Superior thought. 'She was nothing but helpful ever since she arrived… But it's not like you have to be a bad person to become a criminal… Just to be safe...'_

She was not going to take sides yet, while Nathalie did prove herself to be a good girl, there was much about her they did not know, if the police were after her, then there was a chance that she might be dangerous.

There were siren noises in the distance.

"Mother Superior, the IPD is here to see you." Taleesa informed her.

"I'll come see them at once."

There were police cars outside, followed by an ambulance, it seemed like a few curious news crews had tagged along too.

"We got here as fast as we could, is anyone hurt?" One officer asked.

"No… No everyone is fine." Mother Superior said, though her wrist still sore from fighting with Nathalie.

"Well that's a relief. Do you have any idea where the Octoling is headed?"

"No."

"Huh… We have some questions and would like to search the building for clues, is that okay?"

"Go ahead, I'll make sure no one gets in the way."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

As police combed through the Molluscs of Mercy, a detective asked Mother Superior various questions.

"How long has that Octoling been here?"

"She showed up about four days ago."

"Were you aware that we were on the lookout for an Octoling at the time?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you report this earlier then?"

"Nathalie did not seem like a criminal at all, when I first saw her she was dirty and tired, as if she had been running all day. Besides, Octolings are a common sight nowadays."

"What about the days that followed?"

"Well I offered her a place to stay since she had nowhere else to go. I didn't ask for anything in return but she still insisted that she work to earn her stay."

"That's interesting… So until you saw the sketch you had no suspicions at all?"

"No, she was very helpful, she got along with both the kids and the staff, it never occurred to me that she might have been on the run."

"Well then, that just makes her much more dangerous… What made her attack you in the end?"

"We both saw the sketch of her, I was shocked and frankly a bit scared, but so was she. In fact she seemed more scared than angry. Could there be more to this than it seems?" Mother Superior began to wonder.

"Well as far as we know, this Octoling shouldn't even be up here in the first place, there are no records of her moving in. She's pretty much an undocumented immigrant.

That rang a bell, Nathalie had said things about returning to Octo Valley and not knowing where she was…

' _Could Nathalie have gotten caught up in something dangerous?'_

"The way she's able to lay low in plain sight makes me wonder if she's been trained for this..." the detective commented.

"Maybe so, I only knew her for a brief time."

"Yes she likely took advantage of your kindness Bernice."

' _It really didn't seem that way… Nathalie was scared when she first arrived…'_

As this was happening, a few officers combed the orphanage building.

They took whatever prints they could find in the room given to Nathalie, while also taking the robes and veil she had worn for their investigation.

"Aside from your bag, what else was stolen?" one officer asked Taleesa.

"Not much, she emptied out the bag before escaping, I think she only made off with the first aid kit from the washroom."

"You are familiar with the normal layout of the rooms here, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Then please take a look around, think very carefully, let us know if you find out that something else is missing."

"Okay."

Taleesa carefully looked through every room on the second floor, taking care not to touch anything.

There really wasn't much else missing…

Hmm? One of the rooms seemed to be missing a candleholder…

"Well? See anything out of the ordinary?"

"All I can see is that one candleholder is gone."

"Hmm, was that particular candle holder worth much?"

"It was made of silver, I doubt it's worth that much…"

"Hmm odd, still i'll report this to the detective."

The officers left the building and began speaking among themselves.

The detective had finished questioning Mother Superior and was now speaking to the other staff and some of the kids too.

"Sir, we've been through every room, according to the staff nothing was really taken, only a first aid kit and a silver candleholder."

"Hmm that's odd… Why steal only a first aid kit and a candleholder?"

"Nathalie didn't steal!" came a voice of protest.

Standing with the other orphans, Roman insisted that Nathalie wasn't bad. "I gave it to her! It's the one from my room!"

Another odd twist.

The officer speaking with the detective turned around, he faced Roman and asked.

"Why give something to her? You do know that she is wanted for arson and possibly an attempted homicide."

"Well I… She… she helped me… When I found out she was leaving... I…" Roman, despite being more self confident now, still felt slightly intimidated by the officer towering over him.

"Geez, you're scaring the kid Maxwell, how about you go talk to the rest of the staff, i'll handle things here." the detective suggested

"Well alright then."

With that officer gone, the detective approached Roman, then kneeled down so that they were both equal in height.

"Don't be scared son, take your time, explain everything."

"She's a bit like me, so I believe her, she helped me realize I had nothing to be afraid of. I wanted her to remember me, so when I heard she was leaving, I gave her the first thing I could find."

"Yeah! Nathalie's great! She knows so many things!" another kid jumped in.

"She's really friendly too!"

"Sounds like you all look up to her quite a bit." the detective commented

"Yeah she never gets angry if you get hurt or run into her!"

"She can also make so many things with paper!"

"Hmm… Well I think we've gotten everything we need. Give us a call if anything else happens." the detective said.

* * *

Later that day, the orphanage staff was preparing dinner.

Since Nathalie was gone Taleesa was alot less chatty while doing so.

As for Mother Superior, she was watching the news again.

The story about Nathalie had been repeated a few times by now, however it wasn't the same.

"It seems that the same suspect who burnt down Macrum Harker's villa had an orphanage in their crosshairs. Luckily the staff were able to recognise her in time and report her to police."

That wasn't at all what happened, did the police twist things around? Or maybe the news just wanted a juicier story?

"Although some of the staff were attacked, the suspect didn't have time to steal many things of value." the report continued.

Mother Superior had seen this same news story twice now…

With nothing else to do Taleesa decided to take a peek at the news too.

"Hey! that's completely different from what happened… We didn't make Nathalie look that bad, did we?" Taleesa commented.

"I do not know… perhaps we were a bit too hasty."

"What do you mean?"

Mother Superior recalled everything she knew regarding Nathalie.

How Nathalie arrived hungry, weak and tired…

How she was afraid of her own Octoling identity…

Her talk with that detective revealed a few more things.

Nathalie wasn't registered as a citizen of Inkopolis.

She could have been a simple undocumented immigrant, someone who could not stand Octo Valley and escaped on her own, seeking new life on the surface, but if that were the case, Nathalie wouldn't have declined her job offer and wouldn't be searching for a way back to Octo Valley.

Also Nathalie was certain that Macrum was out to get her…

The amount of fear she arrived with, and how scared she was when she saw that news report made it even more convincing…

"Maybe the news just wanted a more catchy story, however… there is also the possibility that everything Nathalie said was true… That includes the whole story about corruption and Macrum." Mother Superior wondered.

Taleesa gasped "So she's actually in big big trouble?"

She nodded in reply.

Taleesa and the other staff exchanged glances.

"Is this our fault?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have called the cops…"

"W-w-what should we do?"

"Maybe we should look for Nathalie?"

"Where would we even look?"

"Where would she go?"

"Inkopolis." Mother Superior said "I told her she could return to Octo Valley through Inkopolis however…"

"I have time tomorrow! I can go look!" Taleesa volunteered "I live in Inkopolis anyways so I-"

Mother Superior shook her head "Searching for one Octoling in Inkopolis will be like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Not only that, but when Nathalie left, she was furious.

"We've betrayed her trust, even if we find her, I doubt she'll be pleased to see us…"

"Then what should we do?"

"There isn't much we can do now… We should keep an eye out for her, but we may have already made things even worse..." Mother Superior was certain of it.

With no better course of action to take, she stared into the symbol of the great zapfish, a symbol of faith plastered to the walls of this building. Taking a deep breath she clasped her hands together.

"There are dark forces at work, hate, greed, corruption… I hope that Nathalie really was the kind girl we thought she was if so then… I pray… I pray that Nathalie does not lose herself in the coming trials."

Seeing this Taleesa and a few other unoccupied staff joined in. They had made a mistake one which they could not fix, all that they could do was pray.

"Nathalie, may the light of the Great Zapfish guide you home."


	8. A Change of Pace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Now this chapter had alot of revising done to it, in fact this one chapter was supposed to be two entirely separate chapters, however I didn't want things to grind to a halt so I removed some parts and kept what was important to the plot before joining the two together. That being said some parts may not join together very well, still I think it worked out.

**Chapter 4: A Change of Pace**

I had left the Molluscs of Mercy long behind me…

I thought that I could settle down, but unfortunately I couldn't get such luxuries, I was now a wanted Octoling, I had to keep running.

I bet it was Macrum who blamed that fire on me, it had to be, who else would do such a thing?

Well… At least I had some food and rest for a few days… sigh, when will this end? When will I get back to Octo Valley? Will there be anyone out there willing to hear me out?

I wanted to tell everyone of what had happened, I wanted everyone to know what me, Alex, Jake and dozens of other Octarians had gone through up on the surface, but who would believe me?

I had hidden it from even the staff and volunteers at the Molluscs of Mercy out of fear, and when I tried to tell them they wouldn't believe me. What's stopping everyone else from having the exact same reaction?

It makes me so mad just thinking about it, I never did anything wrong, I always looked out for others and tried to promote positivity, even in Octo Valley! Why am I the one who is treated like a criminal?!

No wait, calm down… I really shouldn't blame them.

Mother Superior had to consider not just my safety but the safety of everyone else in that orphanage, since I never told her anything until I was branded an arsonist it's only natural that she'd have a hard time believing anything I had to say.

Taleesa on the other hand just heard about me being a criminal and saw me wrestling with Mother Superior for the phone, she must have panicked and called the cops, that's all.

I don't think they were bad Inklings, rather it was the way I hid everything from them which made them act out in fear.

To be honest I was afraid of them as well, the only other Inklings I've ever met were Macrum, his employees or those cops Macrum's payroll, so I admit I was a little scared of Inklings.

But they can't all be bad right? I mean that orphanage sheltered all kinds of young creatures, even an Octoling other than myself.

I might have been angry but I shouldn't let that cloud my judgement, there was still a lot I didn't know.

…

… However thinking back to what Mother Superior had said before I ran away… It sounds like Macrum is alot of influential than it seems…

If he is widely known as a generous and successful Inkling, I doubt anyone would believe the words of a single Octoling trying to expose his wrongdoings…

...Wait when did that become my goal? I thought I was just trying to get back to Octo Valley?

Would I even be safe there? I mean I was kidnapped straight from the valley, who's to say it won't happen again?

Well, I did make a promise… But can I really afford to keep it? I think Alex would prefer I stay safe rather than try to keep my promise.

Yes that will do, for now I should stay safe and out of sight…

I say that but…

I'm currently seated in yet another bus to Inkopolis.

After running from the Molluscs of Mercy I found the bus stop Taleesa mentioned before, but just in case, I ran down the road to the next stop before actually boarding a bus.

The news had only just published the police sketch of me, so not many creatures have seen it yet.

Still just to be safe, I avoided making eye contact with anyone on the bus.

Hopefully nobody here has seen the news recently, or at least haven't bothered to remember my face.

…

While I did manage to rest my legs, I always felt uneasy sitting here worrying that maybe somebody here recognizes me from the news and has sounded a silent alarm or something…

Therefore I was glad to finally see the scenery change to a more urban one.

This was my second time stepping out into the busy and densely populated areas of Inkopolis however I was no less than amazed.

Such bright colours, such happy advertising, joyful looking creatures all around. If I wasn't on the run I would have loved to live here.

No… What am I saying? Octarians such as myself could not possibly live on the surface. The Inklings wouldn't allow it! Would they?

Would they…

What was that? Am I seeing things? I swear I just saw another Octoling pass by…

It must have been my imagination unless…

Unless something happened and now Octo Valley is on good terms with Inkopolis…

Nah, as much as I want to believe it I doubt something that big could just happen in the two years or so I've spent in Macrum's Villa.

I should get out of sight quickly, just in case someone has recognised me already.

Inkopolis was busy yes, but even a busy city had places to hide.

Nobody would care about the dirty dark alleyways which held nothing but dumpsters and trash.

It's not an ideal place for me to be, but I have to face it, I'm pretty much homeless now, I can't just ask someone for help can I?

Maybe if it were another Octarian they could understand… No, I should stop believing that I saw Octolings living among the Inkopolis population.

Though Roman did say something about Octavio being defeated, that alone shouldn't be enough…

Speaking of Roman, I still had that candleholder he gave me.

I set down my bag and opened it up, sure enough it was still there, a shiny silver candleholder, there was even a candle still on it, a reminder of Roman, the little Octoling I met at the Molluscs of Mercy...

Maybe I should have brought him along, it would be nice to have some company. Unlike Mother Superior, Taleesa and those other Inklings he still seemed to trust me.

What am I saying?! No way would I take a child like him with me! I'd probably just get charged with kidnapping, well I already had one false charge on me.

No, no matter how lonely I get, I can't do anything that troubles anyone else.

Can't? More like shouldn't… This bag i'm carrying was stolen from Taleesa in a fit of rage…

Well I dumped out everything that was in there before, so Taleesa should have gotten everything back, plus this bag was nothing valuable, just a simple black backpack with two pockets and one opening, this should stop Macrum and the IPD from putting a robbery charge on me.

I was about to pack up and walk back out, but I stopped.

I don't have anywhere to go, so maybe it's safer to stay put.

I'll figure out how to get back to Octo Valley soon enough. Maybe when the city goes to sleep…

* * *

Eventually the light outside faded away and the city streets darkened to the same level as the alleyways.

It would be harder to spot me in these conditions, so I peeked out from behind a building, scanning the area and making sure nobody was watching.

There were still a couple billboards and street lights glimmering in the night, lighting the way from any late night workers I guess.

I did see some happy or tired looking creatures around, some were Inkling.

I'll avoid their line of sight and keep moving around until I can figure out just what part of Inkopolis this is.

I walked at a rather quick pace until I reached another intersection.

I stopped and pressed myself against a wall before taking a peek over the edge, just in case there was someone there.

It seemed like this part of Inkopolis is still pretty active at night, though it looks kinda familiar...

"Umm.. Hi there, are you lost?"

I jumped! Where did that voice come from? I didn't expect someone to spot me from behind!

I spun around and saw an Inkling, no wait! That was a bad move! I quickly spun back to hide my face.

Ahh wait! That probably made me look even more suspicious! Should I turn back? But what if he recognises me from the news?! But wait! My hair is a dead giveaway! He may have already recognised me!

What should I do? Should I run? Should I stay?

I still have those Dualies I bought for Jake, should I try and use them? Not to splat but to scare?

The Inkling seemed amused and chuckled a bit "Is this your first time in Inkopolis? Why so nervous?" I heard him say. Was he oblivious to the fact that I was obviously an Octoling? I should be the only one up here on the surface, why is it that hardly anyone seems to notice that?

Do Inklings have bad eyesight or something?

"I'm fine thank you." I said, without turning my face.

"Why won't you turn around? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Come on, no need to hide, turn around."

Ohhh nooo, I must have been found out. I had to be.

If I tried to grab the Dualies from my bag, would I have time to put them on before this Inkling sounded the alarm? What if the Inkling had a concealed weapon and attacked me the moment I went for my Dualies?

If I don't turn around, wouldn't he get even more suspicious?

I guess I have no choice, I'll turn around, if he screams or anything I'll just have to run.

Nervously, I decided to face the Inkling.

Well now we had a good view of each other's faces.

This Inkling looked somewhere around my age, he had a rather well kept face and his hair was pulled back in a ponytail. I never really seen any guys with that kind of hairstyle in Octo Valley, to be honest it doesn't look that bad.

But he had blue hair… just like Macrum did…

No, there are probably hundreds of Inklings with blue hair, I can't judge them based on that.

"Was that so hard? There's no need to hide such a pretty face." he was speaking rather calmly and cheerfully. It seemed like he did not recognise me, rather he was just talking to me out of concern. But what is with that last comment?

Nevermind I probably shouldn't hang around too long.

"You're right, I had nothing to hide, now excuse me I have to get going."

"Hmm? Do you have business with Jelfonzo or something? Why are you peeking around Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, though I think I get why this place looked familiar, this seems to be the same galleria I bought the Dualies from during my first visit.

"Oh so that's where I am... Ye Ole Cloth Shoppe? Wow what a mouthful that name is…" I pretended to know what he was talking about in order not to seem suspicious.

"I know right? I preferred Jelly Fresh myself, too bad they moved the turf lobby out of the Plaza…"

I have no idea what he is talking about.

"Oh no wonder I can't find my way around here."

"Uhh…. They moved the turf lobby here more than a year ago…"

"Oh right haha, my mistake…" I need to get out of here.

"Are you really lost? Is that why you were acting so nervously? Don't worry! I know Inkopolis like the back of my hand!"

"Thanks but no thanks, I can find my own way, no need to trouble yourself." I shouldn't be travelling with anyone right now.

"No it's really no hassle, just tell me where you're headed I'll point you in the right direction."

"I uhh I…" I don't know the names of any place in Inkopolis, or at least none that I can recall, all I know is that Mother Superior heard of a way back to Octo Valley from the central areas of Inkopolis.

I should have just walked away, now I have to give an answer in order to seem normal, if I don't he will probably suspect something is up…

"It's embarrassing, but I don't have a home, okay. Why do you think I didn't want to be seen? Now please leave me alone."

That should work, there are always plenty of homeless creatures wandering around urban areas like this, I see them all the time in Octo Valley.

"Huh how? Are you maybe from out of town?"

"How did you jump to that conclusion?"

"This is Inkopolis, you could make a living playing turf wars alone, even if you don't there are so many other options and programs in place to support you…"

Is Inkopolis really that different? The gap between Octo Valley and here must be huge! Way larger than I ever imagined. I mean I knew Octo Valley wasn't anywhere near Inkopolis' level of development just from first impressions but wow.

"Very perceptive of you, yes I am not from here and i'm not here by choice, now please leave me be."

"... You know, if you are telling the truth, you could crash at my place until you get back on your feet."

"W-what?" I almost found myself smiling, someone was offering to help me? So far it's always been me asking for help. No wait, nobody would make an offer like that to someone they just met would they? Unless..

"Don't worry, I promise I won't try anything, I've only got eyes for a certain someone else… heh.." This Inkling really didn't seem all that bad, he was just making an offer out of concern while sheepishly scratching his head.

Well it would be better than sleeping outside again… Yes it definitely would, last time I slept outside there were at least grass and trees, here I'd only be able to take shelter in alleyways and dumpsters…

Should I consider myself lucky to have a second option?

"Alright, I guess anything is better than sleeping on the street."

I agreed because I really didn't have a choice, but I should still be cautious.

Just because this Inkling did not recognize me did not mean others wouldn't either. Though actively hiding my face might make me stand out more. Therefore I avoided making eye contact with anyone else.

There weren't many other Inklings around at this time, the majority left seemed to be around my age, just like the one i was following… It seems like the older Inklings either work till later times or have already returned home.

The Inklings still outside all seemed to carry some kind of weapon with them, it made me nervous, were they on the lookout for me? Or was is normal to carry weapons as an Inkling?

Speaking of weapons, the Inklings who offered me shelter also had one, though I do not know what it is, all I know is that it had a trigger and was connected to an ink tank so it was probably a weapon of some sort.

"So, how did you end up in Inkopolis?" the Inkling asked.

"I'd rather not say right now…"

"Is it something bad? You aren't keeping some dangerous secret are you?"

".. I'll tell you later, but not now."

"Okay, that's fine with me."

I did not say much about myself and just followed the Inkling until we reached an apartment building.

I stopped. Something like this just felt all too strange, in a way I wanted to believe this but…

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

I looked at his face one more time, he really did look concerned, however Mother Superior had been as well, but she called the IPD on me without a second thought.

Actually I mixed that up a bit, it was Taleesa who called the IPD, but the point still stood.

"Do you really not know who I am? Does my face not look familiar to you? Please take a close look." He did just that, I saw him gazing at me then he scratched his head.

"Should it look familiar? Wait…. Are you a celebrity or something?"

I shook my head "No course not.:

"Well then what are you so worried about?"

"Well I… I don't know if I should-"

"Right you didn't want to talk about it out here right? Well then come on in." He opened the front door to the apartment and gestured at me to enter.

I hesitantly stepped inside, ths didn't look like any shady place, rather it appeared pretty luxurious if we went by Octo Valley standards…

It was a simple lobby with an elevator and a second door leading to a set of stairs.

The Inkling walked passed me and called the elevator, then stared at the number above the door as it made its way down to one.

'Ding'

The elevator doors opened. I was in a hurry to enter so that I could hide myself, but as soon as it opened, I realized it was occupied already.

I dashed to the side and pressed myself against the wall beside the elevator, whoever was inside did not get to see me… I think.

"Oh good evening Finty." I heard someone say, maybe he knew the Inkling I had been following.

"Hello Deep, heading out at this time?"

"Yeah about that… I think I dropped my phone on my way back, did you happen to see a green Squid phone lying around anywhere?"

"Nope sorry."

"Aww man that sucks, oh well I'm still going out there to look, see you later."

"Bye."

I saw a green Inkling walk out of the elevator and leave the building, he did not turn back and probably did not spot me on his way out.

"Phew" I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you really have to hide like that? Are you scared of someone?"

"I… I'm sorry for acting so strange, life hasn't been easy on me lately."

"You don't have to be scared, nobody here wants to hurt you."

He was very wrong, but I'd rather not correct him on that. I just nodded and followed him into the elevator.

We went up a couple of floors and Finty pulled out a key, unlocked the door to an apartment suite and once again, opened the door for me.

How well mannered, though I'm still somewhat suspicious of his offer, would someone really just give me a place to stay out of the goodness of their heart? If so, what would happen when he eventually hears about my status as a wanted being?

Looking around the apartment seemed to be in rather good condition, it was a bit messy, but it looked alot better than my room in the Molluscs of Mercy. I would prefer to stay here for as long as possible. But I can't, not when I'm the one being hunted by both Marcum and the authorities.

I could hide it for as long as possible but…

' _Is that why you are here? To burn down Macrum's villa?'_ Mother Superior's reaction echoed in my head, I really don't want a repeat of that…

If I hide the fact that I am wanted by the IPD maybe I'll have a place to stay until I discover the way back to Octo Valley, but if I do, I might end up getting closer to this Inkling and that will make revealing myself much more painful…

Perhaps I should just be open right off the bat and try to convince him that I'm not a bad Octoling.

In order to prevent a repeat of the Molluscs of Mercy, I should not keep anything secret.

"Hey, why are you staring off like that?" Finty asked

"Oh I'm just thinking… If you're going this far to help me, it's only fair that I explain everything to you. Like how I got here."

"Right, you wanted to wait till we were alone to tell me. So what's up?'

I looked around, I didn't see any open windows and the front door was locked.

Though the apartment walls might not completely block out noise, so I shouldn't speak too loudly…

"Umm…" How should I put this? I don't want to cause a panic, it would be bad if I'm forced to run again so soon.

I clasped my hands together in order to ask what seemed to be an impossible favor. "Please promise me that no matter what I say, you won't kick me out."

"Aww come on, do I really look like the type of guy to do that?"

I guess he agreed, but even so he could go back on his decision as soon as I mention the IPD.

After all Mother Superior had done the same, she had promised me shelter only to go back on her word after hearing I was a criminal…

"... Okay then…" This time I should be up front with everything right off the bat. No hiding anything like I did with the Molluscs of Mercy… "First off... I'm from Octo Valley."

I was nervous, I expected Finty to cut in any moment now, or at least see that concerned expression of his change to a fearful one. I was so nervous I could barely bring myself to look at him.

But to my relief he did not react to my first statement, phew… I guess I can keep going.

"I don't know what happened but one day I was walking with a friend and we were both knocked out and brought here. Alot of stuff happened and I ended up wandering the surface alone, I was staying at an orphanage earlier, but for some reason the police started looking for me, so I had to run."

"The police?" Finty asked, oh no, here it comes…

I'll be forced to run away alone once again, how many times has this happened?

"But why? Is it because you didn't arrive here legally?" Finty continued

Huh? He wasn't kicking me out yet? Okay I guess I'll continue.

"No, there was a fire, the villa of a rich guy got burned down and everyone seems to think I did it. But I didn't! I don't have the time or materials to do such a thing!"

"So what? You just appeared there after waking up? What about that friend you mentioned?"

"No there's more, but well…"

Mother Superior didn't believe that an influential Inkling like Macrum could do the things he did to me… I doubt Finty would… Would he?

I guess I'll explain everything.

I started with my life as an Octoling in Octo Valley, taking medical courses with Alex, then suddenly blacking out and waking up in Macrum's Villa.

I made sure to leave no detail out, I retold everything that had happened over the last two years.

My first escape attempt, the corrupt IPD officers, Alex's death, Jake's fever, my second escape, the Molluscs of Mercy and finally escaping back here before I could be recognized by more surface creatures.

Finty seemed doubtful to say the least, but in the end all he said was. "Maybe you shouldn't have told me that, I really don't want to be guilty by association."

"I'm not guilty! But well… you have a point, I guess I'll leave…" I can't cause trouble for anyone else, this doesn't involve him so I guess it's best for me to remain alone.

"No no no wait. You can stay just… Keep your head down, don't let anyone see you here okay?"

Wait so…. I can stay?

I'm not going to be kicked out? He's not calling the cops in panic?

"A-are you sure? You'll let me stay even though I'm a wanted Octoling?"

"Of course! I mean you don't seem like the type to go around causing trouble, I can tell."

I can't believe it! Someone actually believes me! Someone trusts me enough to let me stay!

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I was afraid I'd end up sleeping on the streets, thank you for letting me stay!"

I almost lept on Finty out of joy, but I stopped, I didn't want to scare him or anything by making such a sudden move.

Wait hold on, am I crying again? Am I really this happy just for a roof to sleep under?

Maybe I'm just glad I don't have to wander around alone again.

"You know, all this sounds like something right out of a movie, it's pretty interesting for me." Finty commented. "Hey if you don't mind I might try writing a screenplay based on you."

Sure I guess my recent experiences could be a decent plot but.

"Okay but, maybe not now, I'm afraid of what will happen if you do something that attracts the IPD and Macrum's attention."

"Oh there's no way I can do something like that so quickly. For now it's just another random idea in my head."

What a relief, I wouldn't want to attract any attention.

"Well it was already late, so let's turn in for the night, we can figure out what to do tomorrow morning."

"Alright!" I wasn't as tired as before, but it was still good to try and get some sleep.

Finty left me in the living room to sleep on the couch.

Even though he looked to be around my age he had a rather spacious apartment to himself, surprisingly he didn't have any roommates as he could afford to live on his own already.

That would have been impossible in Octo Valley, sometimes two different families would even have to share a single home, Inkopolis is really different, the common sense I thought I had known in Octo Valley might not apply here…

Maybe that is why I ended up in such a situation, the world doesn't smile with you when you do up here. Those who inhabit the surface are often short sighted and…

I should stop there.

If the surface really is that bad, then I wouldn't be here, I'd still be out on the street.

Sure I had some bad encounters, but that could come to a stop now, I've met someone who is actually kind and doesn't jump to conclusions, this could be a fresh start, a change of pace.

Well it's about time if you ask me…

* * *

The next day I was up before Finty, I didn't want to wake him so I tried to go back to sleep.

Unfortunately I just can't.

Inklings seem to wake up alot later than Octolings no matter where you are.

I would wake him up, but I shouldn't disturb his schedule, so I'll just have to wait, in the meantime I may as well prepare for the day.

"Good morning." Oh it seems like the sleepyhead is finally up. "Uhh. How long have you been up?"

"Well, about an hour now. Wait did I make too much noise?"

"Don't worry, it's about time I get anyways."

Finty was kind enough to prepare breakfast for the two of us.

As we were eating I couldn't help to steal some glances outside.

I've seen Inkopolis twice now, but it isn't any less impressive.

"I want to see the city…"

"Huh? Didn't you say Macrum was after you?"

"Well yes but…"

It's not everyday you get a chance to see what a safe and modern city looks like… Well not when you are an Octoling…

"You know what, nevermind I'll stay here." I decided.

"Good idea."

Even though I said I'd stay here, I can't help but be curious.

"Alright, Well I gotta head out. I won't be back for lunch though, so just take a look and have whatever you want."

"Where are you going?"

"Gotta make a living right?"

"Oh right of course."

It was probably a weekday today, I hadn't exactly been keeping track of time very well since my removal from Octo Valley.

Finty left, I guess he has work, class or maybe a mix of both. I wouldn't know.

Well all I have to do is stay here and not answer the door.

…

What can I do here? It's great to be safe and all, but there really isn't much for me to do...

Maybe I'll watch a bit of tv, or perhaps there is a computer I can use to find a way back to Octo Valley from here.

I looked around, Finty's apartment was a bit messy, but I guess since he lives alone, it's fine that way.

He had a laptop in his room, though I could not use it as it was password protected…

I mean I doubt he's just put in "1234" or "password" right?

I tried just in case, but predictably it did not work.

Well I'm not doing any research now. What else can I do?

Perhaps I'll watch a bit of TV, maybe the news could catch me up a little on what is happening regarding Macrum's villa.

I flicked on the TV and quickly lowered the volume just incase any of Finty neighbours could hear.

"Y'all know what time it is!"

"It's Off the Hook, coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis Square!"

Wait a second, is that an Octoling on tv?

I watched as the group known as "Off the Hook" began to announce something called "stages" before moving on.

I doubt they were reporting anything related to Macrum.

There are probably other news channels out there, so I started flipping through all of them.

Finally, I found what I was looking for.

"Police are still on the hunt for an Octoling suspected to have set fire to a villa belonging to multi trillionaire Macrum Harker. The suspect appears to have robbed a nearby orphanage before making her escape, luckily the only valuables stolen appear to be a silver candleholder."

I tuned the rest out.

Robbed an orphanage?! Are you kidding me! What did I steal?!

I looked at my bag.

Well sure I did take a few things out of anger, but really? I can't believe they were petty enough to accuse me of yet another crime! Plus Roman gave me that candleholder as a souvenir!

Did Mother Superior have something to do with this? Or maybe Taleesa and the rest of the staff?

What is this feeling? As if my blood was boiling up to my neck. I'm really starting to hate these Inklings…

I used to hear bad things about them all the time in Octo Valley, maybe there was some truth to it?

Macrum who would torture Octarians for his own pleasure, the IPD officers who turned me and Alex over to Macrum for money, Mother Superior who would rather believe the news over what she had seen…

I don't know who exactly twisted the fact of what happened at that orphanage, but I bet they were Inkling too…

It's all because of them that I'm here instead of… hold on…

No, I shouldn't think that, after all I'm currently safe and sound in an apartment suite thanks to an Inkling.

Yes that's it, let's not get angry now, I'll repeat that to myself a thousand times if I have to.

Besides, Finty is proof that maybe I was just unlucky with my previous encounters, or maybe I misunderstood a few of them.

After all Finty is an Inkling as well, yet he didn't immediately call the IPD or push me away when I told him about Macrum. In fact he first spoke to me out of concern, that has to mean something, he was a nice guy and nothing like Macrum.

Just cause Macrum is a bad Inkling doesn't mean all of them are bad.

Maybe someone at the news wanted a more interesting story so they bent the facts a little?

Maybe Mother Superior and the rest of the orphanage staff just panicked and are actually worried about me.

Heck maybe even Macrum does what he did for some reason that I did not know.

It's best to stay positive and look at everything with a calm mind.

With that, I flicked the tv back on and listened to everything the news had to say.

They said a lot about me, though most of it was pure speculation, like maybe I'm a remnant of the Octarian army or something.

Well none of that was true, but I'm sure eventually I could come forth and explain everything, I'm sure there are many more out there who will choose to believe me just as Finty did.

Speaking of Finty, he wouldn't be back for hours, but I feel as if I should do something to thank him for giving me food and shelter…

I looked around, the apartment was rather messy, though it probably doesn't bother him much I figure I may as well tidy up his place, it's the least I could do.

I shut off the TV and went to work.

There were a lot of dishes in the sink so I cleaned them all.

There was a bit of food, dirt or other stuff on the floor so I sweeped it all up.

Some of Finty's things were just lying around so I picked them all off the floor and put them in places that seemed appropriate.

I bet he'll be happy to return to a tidy apartment.

…

Okay now what?

I've watched TV, had lunch, tidied the apartment and it's only one past noon…

Hmm?

There was alot of voices outside, did someone find out I was here?

Reluctantly I looked out the window.

There was a rather large group of Inklings outside….

Huh, some Octolings were mixed into the group as well…

They seemed to be familiar with one another, laughing and chatting with the arms around each other.

That reminds me, didn't I also see an Octoling on TV earlier?

Have Octarians been allowed back on to the surface? Or is that just wishful thinking?

If that's the case, aren't they in danger as long as someone like Macrum is running around?

The news mentioned that he was a multi-trillionaire, now I'm not familiar with how valuable the currency is here, but that still sounds like alot, definitely enough to let him corrupt authorities and kidnap Octolings without having to worry about price…

No wonder everyone would rather side with him…

Well at least I got Finty with me.

I watched as the group of Inklings and Octolings grew larger before walking away somewhere.

I was very curious, I wanted to go out and have a closer look at Inkopolis.

But if I go out there, won't I get spotted?

No wait, if there are other Octolings out there, then I probably don't stand out as much as I originally thought… Maybe that's why nobody seemed to recognize me earlier.

Besides, it's only been a day since my face was shown on the news, it should be fine.

Even though I told Finty I wouldn't go out… Well if it's only for a short while...

I knew he had a spare set of keys to the apartment since I saw one while cleaning up the apartment. I don't think he will mind if I just go outside for a little bit…

Just in case, I should bring my stuff with me, though I didn't have much to begin with… Actually maybe I'll just bring my Dualies and whatever remaining coins I had left. I saw many Inklings and Octolings carrying weapons around so I think I might actually blend in better carrying a weapon of my own, besides I didn't have to use it.

I took the Splat Dualies set out of my bag and put it on, I now had an ink tank on my back and the Dualies holstered on my waist. I also took whatever money I had left with me, just in case.

Now that I was ready to leave, I put my ear against the door, listening for anyone in the hallway, it would be very suspicious if an Octoling nobody has ever seen before suddenly walked out of Finty apartment.

I heard nothing but silence, so obviously nobody is out there. I hurried out and locked the door behind me.

* * *

I wandered around on my own, making sure to remember the path I'm taking so that I could find my way back to Finty's apartment.

Since I had no idea where to go, I decided to try and return to that galleria I saw before, I tried my best to retrace my steps from yesterday.

Now that it was day, there was alot more activity here. They had even closed off the roads nearby.

It seemed like this galleria was popular among those my age, I could see many Inklings and Octolings alike hanging out here.

Maybe I could go speak to some of them?

Actually it's probably best to keep my head down. I think I'll just quietly observe things from a distance.

There was a yellow food truck parked at an intersection, I could see many customers there, though for some reason they appeared to pay using coupons or tickets only and not cash.

Well I wasn't in need of food, so no reason for me to look further into it.

Many of the Inklings and Octolings were entering and exiting a tower, I'm not sure what it is, maybe there is some kind of event going on in there?

As for those who sat around it seemed like they all got along. I did see some Inklings teasing and Octoling, but there was also Octolings teasing an Inkling, what a balanced community.

Moving on from those guys, I found that building from yesterday the "Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe" and just a few blocks over was the same weapon store I got the Dualies for.

I considered going in and asking for a refund as I have never used the Dualies and didn't have a need for them in the first place, but considering the commotion I made when I first visited that shop, I bet the shop owner would remember my face and since my face is on the news, it's probably not a good idea to visit that shop again.

There was also a bunch of TV screens, they showed that same duo I saw before, the one with an Octoling and an Inkling talking about stages and stuff, I don't really understand, I thought they were a news channel.

Well they did report on some other stories now and then, but they seemed focused on something called turf wars.

Must be that ink battle I saw before, though that stuff doesn't really interest me.

There was another screen showing an actual ink battle, I'm still not very interested by those, but one of the Inklings on screen had the same Dualies I did.

I watched him tuck and roll around a corner, coming face to face with another Inkling carrying a long ranged weapon, the Dualie user quickly rolled a second time, dodging a shot of ink.

Interesting, though I don't plan on using my Dualies anytime soon, let's move on.

I'm looking for two things, a way back to Octo Valley or any clues regarding what happened to Jake and the other captive Octarians Marcum had.

Yes Octo Valley may not be as glamorous as Inkopolis, but at least I wouldn't have to be constantly looking over my shoulder for cops and Macrum.

Besides, I'm sure I will be much more easily trusted there.

I'll return to Octo Valley and go back to my studies and get my medical degrees…

I left that galleria and moved on, this city seemed to stretch on forever, I walked for quite a long time until I reached another noticeably popular area.

Just like the galleria, it looked like a place for shopping, I could see Booyah Base written above the stores.

Although this place was pretty populated, I didn't see many Octolings around.

Oh is that…

I saw what appeared to be a giant catfish soaring through the sky, as if it could swim through thin air.

It coiled around a tower and released a discharge of electricity then flew off towards another tower in the distance.

Was that the Great Zapfish that I've heard so much about?

DJ Octavio and the army always seemed to make a huge deal out of it, claiming it belonged to us and that the Inklings were stealing it.

So much fuss over a living creature, they should just leave it be, it seems happy as is.

By the way, what was with that jolt of electricity? It was powerful enough to remain visible for several seconds yet it didn't seem to damage the tower, I guess that is how the Inklings power their city, by absorbing that?

It peaked my curiosity, so I decided to approach the tower.

There was a notice outside which said 'Turf Wars moved, see Inkopolis News for more information.' the notice seemed slightly worn out, as if it was rather old.

Despite the notice outside, there still seemed to be activity inside the tower.

So rather cautiously, I decided to take a peek inside.

The inside of the tower was still lit, I could see a row of doors in the main room. "Ranked Lobby, Private Lobby, Spectator Box?" I read a few signs.

Was this place once a tourist attraction?

"Excuse me, the Turf War lobby has long been moved."

Who was that? I turned to see an Inkling wearing what seemed to be a company uniform.

Does he recognise me? I wonder…

I stared at him for a good few seconds, but he had no reaction.

Good so he doesn't recognise me.

"Oh yes I saw the notice, I'm just curious that's all." There is nothing suspicious about that, so I figured I didn't need to lie.

"Oh, well there's nothing wrong with that. Inkopolis Tower used to host Turf Wars, but now that is done by the folks over at the Deca Tower. Inkopolis Tower has since then gone back to it's original function, to help power Inkopolis." the Inkling explained. "I'd love to show you around, but we are in a bit of a predicament, so please come back later."

"Is there something wrong?"

"It's complicated, you really should leave for now, we don't know how bad it is."

"How bad is what?" Just what could be happening in this power absorbing tower?

I heard the sound of sirens slowly approaching.

Was it the cops? Had I been recognised?

"Well then I guess I should go." I said and sped out of the tower….

Only to see an ambulance pull up instead of a police car. Well that's a relief.

I decided to go back inside Inkopolis tower, only for two Inklings in paramedic outfits to run on by.

Oh so this must be the "predicament" that worker mentioned.

I really shouldn't get in the way, nor risk getting recognised, but I think I should see how emergency services of Inkopolis operate, after all I was trying to get a similar job in Octo Valley.

I followed the paramedics for a little but then I was stopped.

"Sorry miss, you shouldn't get too close."

It was the same worker from earlier.

What was behind him that needed medical attention?

"Sorry for asking but I really want to see this."

"I understand being young and curious, but this isn't the time for that, you'll only get in the way."

Aww, it's not everyday I get an opportunity like this…

"I've never seen anything like this…"

"Neither have I, I thought it like a case of sepiolosis but this…"

I heard some worrying chatter behind the worker, what was going on?

"Could this be some new disease?" I heard the worker ask.

I really wanted to take a look now.

Since the worker was now busy speaking to one of the paramedics, I hurried over to take a look.

"Hey!"

I ignored whoever that was and took a good look at what was happening.

One Inkling sat on the ground, with his back to the wall, he was coughing quite a bit making lots of hacking noises, almost like he had trouble breathing.

But the most noticeable thing was his hands which had taken a much darker colour, almost like it was bruised all over, black spots could also be seen amongst the darkened areas and it seemed to be spreading from there as the rest of his arms had also started to take such a color.

"Wait, you've never seen this before?" I asked.

"Huh? You've seen this before?"

Indeed I have.

Now I may not have graduated yet, but in Octo Valley this sort of disease was already well known, in fact Alex and I did a case study on this just months before I was kidnapped.

It was called Burax, a disease caused by a rod shaped bacteria called Bacillus Buracis. It originated from Octo Valley, being discovered fifty six years ago.

The bacteria itself was easy to obtain, so the Octarian army once tried using it as a weapon against the Salmonids in order to gain their favor. It was life threatening enough to scare everyone but also quick to cure and not very infectious, so it's not considered very dangerous.

I've seen pictures, seen how it was cured though I didn't expect to see an Octo Valley bacteria make it's way to Inkopolis, still if there guys know nothing about it, it might be dangerous.

So I nodded to the paramedics and explained to them "It's a disease called Burax, it originates from Octo Valley. I was studying life sciences there until recently so I've already done a case study on this. Please prepare Penicillin and Tetracycline immediately!"

The two paramedics exchanged glances, I could see the hesitation in their eyes, well I don't blame them I'm just a teen Octoling you'd find anywhere, if I was in their place I'd question myself no matter how much pressure was on me.

"Hold on, you said you were from Octo Valley…"

Oh wait! I probably shouldn't have said that. The IPD are looking for someone who had just arrived from Octo Valley!

"I need to go now!"

"No wait! We have to-"

I hurried out of there! I'm not risking my life by staying for a second longer, I just hope they got the message and treat that sick Inkling well. Or maybe ask Octo Valley for more details since I've told them that Octo Valley knows about that disease already…

Well knowing the relationship between Octo Valley and Inkopolis, it's likely that they won't reply…

I kinda want to go back and see if everything worked out but I just can't.

Let's just hurry back to Finty's apartment.

* * *

I still remembered the way back, so I made haste. I was possibly recognised already so I had to hurry.

I entered the apartment building, ignoring the gazes of a few other residents. I hurried up a few flights of stairs and reached Finty's apartment again.

I looked down both sides of the hallway, nobody there? Good.

Using the spare set of keys I had taken with me, I unlocked the door and entered.

"Who? Oh it's you… Phew, you gave me a fright…" Finty stood there in the living room, I thought he wouldn't be back till later.

"You're back already?" I asked

"Yeah I was worried, where have you been this whole time?"

"Sorry I was just curious, I wanted to see Inkopolis."

"Didn't you tell me it was dangerous? You could have at least let me know you wanted to head out."

"I'll do that next time, sorry."

Finty sighed "Well it's not like i'll stop you. But if things are as serious as you said, shouldn't you have just stayed indoors?"

"Yeah I know but… It's incredibly boring to just sit around all day."

"Well, I can't blame you, Inkopolis is a great place to be, but I really think you should put your own safety first."

Aww… He was so worried about me.

I've barely known him and he is already that concerned about my well being.

"You're right. I won't leave again, at least without letting you know first."

I was really lucky to have run into him.

Later that day, Finty told me he'd stay home tomorrow so that I wouldn't be bored again.

I told him about how there was a rumored connection between Inkopolis and Octo Valley and how I wanted to search for it.

I also wondered how that worker at Inkopolis tower was doing after those paramedics showed up.

The more I thought about it the more I wanted to know what happened after I left. If they actually listened to my advice and if that sick Inkling was cured.

Yes Finty just lectured me about being more cautious but a quick run to Inkopolis Tower tomorrow shouldn't hurt right?

I know I know, I should be more concerned for my own safety, but I walked around today and made it back safe right? It's hard to find one Octoling in a huge city after all.

I'll go out again tomorrow just to see how Inkopolis Tower is doing, after that I'll properly lock myself in Finty's apartment.

* * *

The next day started just like the day before, I had slept soundly on Finty's couch and woken up to the sun shining through the binds.

Finty like before, woke up later than I did. We had breakfast then Finty started watching Inkopolis News for some "stage announcement" I'm not sure what that is but I assume he'll have to leave again soon.

"Umm.. I was thinking, I wanted to go to Inkopolis Tower one more time." I said

"Inkopolis Tower? Why do you want to go there? Turf Wars has already been moved."

"What is Turf Wars? Some kind of sport?"

"A game, a sport, call it what you want. You really haven't heard about it? Do they not have any ink battles in Octo Valley?"

Ink battle? Isn't that a bit dangerous?

I shook my head "Even if there was, that kind of stuff really isn't my cup of tea. I'm not an athlete, just a scholar who studies life sciences." Yes that must sound boring compared to whatever Turf Wars is, but not everyone can run about having fun, someone has to take on the tougher tasks.

Wait I got a little sidetracked didn't I? I'm supposed to let Finty know I'll be leaving briefly and that I'll be back soon.

I returned to my original topic

"Well It's not like I can stop you or anything, just be careful out there." Finty said. He looked rather worried, I would tell him not to worry, but the thing is I was a little worried as well.

Most of the Inklings I have met haven't exactly been kind to me, and even those who were, immediately jumped to conclusions and cast me out when they realized who I was.

Well, at least I have someone to return to, yes if things go wrong I can also run back here.

I took Finty's spare keys and left the building.

I don't exactly recall how I got to Inkopolis Tower yesterday, but the tower itself was tall and unique enough to stand out from the rest of the city.

Apparently it had once been a place to host those "Turf Wars" Finty talked about. It seemed like a popular sport since FInty was surprised that I never heard of it, so I guess it makes sense for it to be held at a location that was noticeable and easy to find.

I simply looked for Inkopolis tower in the horizon and made my way over to it.

If things had gone really bad, I assume they would have closed off the tower, but when I arrived it seemed to be in the same condition as yesterday.

I peeked inside…

Nothing out of the ordinary it seems.

I'll try and find somebody and ask them about yesterday. I walked past the closed lobbies towards the room where I met that worker yesterday.

There was a mix of Inklings and Jellyfish working here it seems.

The Jellyfish, as purposeful as ever did not mind me at all and kept on working.

"She's back!?" I heard someone say, I don't know where that voice came from but it sounded almost like a surprised whisper.

What was going on here?

"Excuse me, this is for tower personnel only. Please leave." One of the Inkling workers told me.

"Oh sorry, I just wanted to ask, the Inkling from yesterday, is he alright?"

As soon I asked that, I felt another presence behind me.

"Huh?"

Behind me stood two more Inklings. Why were they giving me such menacing looks? I didn't do anything.

"Don't move." One of them ordered.

They both looked rather fit and had "security" written on their shirts.

"Wh-what did I do?"

"We've heard it all from the cops, you're the one causing trouble left and right aren't you?"

Oh right, I think I had been recognised yesterday, it seems like the IPD arrived here afterwards and told these guys everything.

"That wasn't me! I didn't do anything, I'm just here out of concern." I protested

"Concern? Sure you helped save Zak yesterday, but that was all part of your plan wasn't it?" it was the same worker from yesterday who spoke now.

"What plan?"

"Don't play dumb, you said you were from Octo Valley. The IPD explained everything, you brought that Burax bacteria here from the valley, poisoned Zak and conveniently showed up to save him and gain our sympathy right?"

"Why would I do that?!"

"I don't know, but then again, who knows what goes on inside a criminal's mind."

"Criminal?"

"The arsoning of Macrum's mansion, breaking into the Molluscs of Mercy, and now an attack on Inkopolis tower. What else could you possibly be!"

Why did I come back here…

The IPD had gotten to everyone here.

"Those are all lies! I didn't do any of that! And I didn't poison anyone! I really just happened to come by!"

"Do you really expect anyone to believe that?"

At this point no, no I don't expect anyone here to believe me., but what else could I say but the truth?

"It's not me! I didn't even want to come here in the first place! It was all because of some rich guy called Macrum! He is just trying to make me look bad!"

"Macrum? You mean the one who owns this power company? The one who pioneered Zapfish breeding, who is responsible for every zapfish related advancement since the great turf war? How would anyone believe that?"

Macrum owns this power company? Right, Mother Superior said he was a zapfish tycoon.

Why didn't I remember that before walking into this damned tower!

One of the security guards grabbed my shoulder.

"You're staying here until the IPD arrives."

Heh… So i'm just going to stay here and get captured.

Captured then probably sent back to Macrum, who'd probably kill me for trying to escape, but before that there would be alot of pain, all to make an example out of me, or just for his pleasure.

No! Not happening.

I began to struggle but that only made security tighten their grip on me.

I even tried changing to a smaller octopus form to slip out, but to no avail.

Hey did you know Inklings could use their hair like an extra set of arms? Because I didn't until now. As soon as I transformed and slipped through the security's arms, their hair grabbed me and pulled me right back.

What am I going to do now? The IPD would arrive soon right?

I can't run, I can't jump… what else can I do?

I saw my Dualies hanging by my side, but so did the two security guards and they immediately began removing my Dualies…

What else can I do here?

Wait, wasn't there someone who could quickly roll to get out of trouble? Right I saw something like that back in the galleria…

Maybe, just maybe…

I changed to octopus form again, the security immediately moved to grab me a second time.

I changed back out of Octopus form and rolled one way, though in the process I left a cone of ink behind me. Which splatted onto the two security guards.

It seems that rolling with a Dualie equipped shoots ink backwards.

That looked painful, though the two guards just shook it off as if it was nothing.

Oh well, it was a good distraction.

I rolled a second time towards the exit and hurried out.

No time to stop, I quickly ran back the way I came.

The Inkopolis tower security chased me for a while but soon gave up. I guess they were not supposed to leave Inkopolis Tower.

Well I guess that's a relief, but if Inkopolis Tower already knew I was wanted, who knows how many other locals knew about my supposed crimes?

Even if I spoke to them, I doubt they would believe me. Nobody believes me, not Mother Superior, not Taleesa, not these Inkopolis Tower workers and not the IPD.

Well except Finty, but maybe that's all I need.

He'll probably be relieved to see me back so soon. I can't wait to get back, from now on, I'll just stay in the company of the one person who I can actually trust.

Time to head on back.

* * *

I hurried back to Finty's apartment, just in case someone was still after me.

I unlocked his door and hurried inside, trying to make as little noise as possible so that I wouldn't be noticed by any of Finty's neighbours.

"Phew" I'm safe again.

Still I can't believe I got yet another ridiculous crime pinned on me.

No stop thinking about that, it will only get me angry, let's talk to Finty instead, that will cheer me up.

I've been so preoccupied that I haven't really spoken much to him, I'd really like to get to know him better. After all I may end up stuck with him for the time being.

Come to think about it, he's busy during the day, so he didn't have much time to talk to me either.

I walked through the living room, then I heard a voice.

"It's not MY fault I can't be in two places at once!"

It sounds like Finty was arguing with someone.

Out of curiosity I peeked into his room.

He was there sitting on his bed with a phone in his hand, he looked rather annoyed.

"If you had just waited a little we wouldn't HAVE this problem in the first place!"

Was he arguing with a friend? Or is this something work related?

Well whatever it was, I hope there is something I can do to put him in a better mood, positivity is important after all.

"Look, the girl left again this morning, she will probably be back in the afternoon like yesterday, tell Macrum to get over here by then and make sure he has my money!"

What…

Did he just…

There was so much I could say about that. But first off.

WHAT THE HELL!?

"Of course! Why would I lie to you, I told you I actually have… ahh."

Finty noticed me standing there.

"I have to go." He said and quickly hung up.

"Back so soon? I didn't expect that." He spoke nonchalantly but I had already heard enough.

What was this, I feel something kicking at my neck, I've felt this before but this time…

My vision started to blur. I was crying but not completely out of sadness.

Finty seemed to notice it too…

"How much of that did you hear?" He asked

"I heard enough."

"Don't take it too personally, a guy's gotta eat right?"

"What are you saying?! I trusted you! I thought you trusted me too! Why did you go and call Macrum behind my back!?"

"It was always meant to go this way. I mean seriously, did you think that just cause you were a bit cute that I'd help you instead of helping myself to that bounty of ten million Macrum has on your head?"

"Wh-wha-what…"

"Oh weren't you aware? Macrum's offering a sweet ten million smackers if someone finds you for him."

Ten million… He sold me out for money…

No… he didn't sell me out, he planned this from the beginning.

Why didn't I see this coming? He never even introduced himself nor asked me for my name. In fact I wouldn't have known his name was Finty if I didn't hear someone else speak it to him.

"You… You never believed me from the start, did you?"

"Of course not? Who would believe that crazy tale of yours?" He seemed so calm about this, as if he didn't even care about what I had to say. "You shouldn't even be up here in the first place? Didn't we kick you Octarians underground all those years ago? Why are you so surprised that you aren't welcome here?"

"SHUT UP!" I don't know what's coming over me, my heart was pulsing, my field of vision was warping... I said I never wanted to hurt anyone but I found myself pointing my Dualies at Finty. He still sat there, acting all smug as if he did absolutely nothing wrong. I wanted to shoot him, I wanted to splat him so bad.

Finty didn't even react to having two Dualies aimed at his face. "So now what, you're just going to splat me? Pfft, you're way out of your element girl, this is Inkopolis. Even if I get splatted I'll just respawn again and again…"

"I said SHUT! UP! I believed you! I trusted you! Am I just a payday to you?! Why would you be so kind to me in the first place if you wanted to turn me in!?"

"Uhh… obvious?"

As if completely unfazed Finty just stood there, he wasn't a thing like who I thought he was and right now I was pissed. I couldn't help it anymore, that grinning face of his looked so punchable.

I was still holding a Dualie in each hand, but instead of shooting Finty I threw a punch at him.

Only for him to grab and twist my arm.

I was never a fighter to begin with and FInty…

Well I didn't know anything about him, until now, I now know he is better than me at fighting.

I felt myself hit the ground. It felt cold, just like back in Macrum's Villa.

"Look splatting me won't make a difference and you're worth too much for me to splat, so just lay there till Macrum gets here okay?"

This was worse than being caught by the IPD, I was going straight back to Macrum this time…

I won't allow it. I immediately raised my Dualie again but I felt a strong kick and the weapon flew from one of my hands.

Finty grabbed my other hand which was still holding a Dualie and pushed me back against a wall. Then he stood back. I took this time to take aim again but I felt something else hit me.

Right Finty had pushed me into the path of a door, now he kicked it with full force, sending it slamming against me.

It was annoying being so stupid, being so powerless…

But it didn't hurt half as much.

I lunged at Finty again.

He could still dodge and retaliate but I don't care, if I can just get one good punch on him I'll be satisfied.

I ran and tried to drop kick him but he simply grabbed my legs and turned, sending me face first into a wall.

"Just give up already, even if you somehow get away nobody will help you while you got that much money on your head. This should be a life lesson to you, everyone is short sighted and materialistic, nobody does something without expecting some kind of reward."

"Short sighted? Materialistic? Maybe that's true here but in Octo Valley we helped each other even if our lives were awful."

"Octo Valley? Everyone there were just puppets to Octavio until recently. No normal creature would act like that. Why are you even arguing? You know i'm right."

"I hate you!"

Don't you dare say those things about my home!

I got back up, I don't care how many tries this takes, I'm not stopping until i'm satisfied!

I rushed at Finty again, but he kept catching my fists and twisting my arms, everytime I tried to kick him he just tripped me and I fell on my back.

But still, none of that hurt, I kept getting back on my feet.

So what if I felt tired? So what if I'm being thrown around? I don't care how badly injured I get! I want to see Finty cry!

"How are you still standing upright after all that!?" Finty exclaimed, he must not have expected me to get up again so quickly and once again he was fighting me off.

But he was getting tired I could feel it, I should be getting tired too but I can't afford to give in now, if I do I'll die.

Finally Finty slipped up, he moved too slowly to grab my arm and thus my fist collided with his jaw.

it felt so good to see him fall to the ground withering in pain, ha! Not talking now are you!

Sure he hit me alot harder but it doesn't matter to me.

"I have been bruised, burned, cut, stabbed and throttled hundreds of times since I got here! All of this is NOTHING!"

That's right I might not be a fighter but even after all those hits I feel nothing, just like what I'll feel once I put this asshole to an early grave!

"Oww. Okay time out, all of this is meaningless, you're going to get caught either way, you may as well let me make some money in the process."

Time out? Money? What does he think this is? Who does he think I am?

I'm not about to lay down and die! And what's all this about money?

"Money money! Is that all you care about! I got money! Here! go shove it up your ass!" I still had a fistful of coins left in my jacket. I took them out and tossed it at his face out of rage.

I don't want that money anyways! It will only remind me of him!

After being hit with a shower of coins Finty shook his head, as if dazed, though it really didn't look like it hurt much.

But now that we aren't fighting I could go retrieve my Dualies.

"You know that isn't going to kill me right? Inklings respawn in Inkopolis."

"I don't care!" I would just splat him now and get running but that wouldn't be enough.

Using the Dualie like a brace for my fist I punched Finty over and over. He was too tired now to put up much of a fight anyways.

Finally I had enough, and Finty's face looked so mangled I could barely recognise him.

Haha…. I don't know why, but seeing him like that felt good.

I shot him several times with my Dualies until he finally went 'splat'.

A small squid shaped ghost floated away from what had previously been Finty, he would survive though and it pissed me off.

His apartment was now an even bigger mess then when I first arrived.

Feh, not my problem.

Macrum's goons would be coming here for me, so I have to leave.

I grabbed my stolen bag and left Finty's apartment.

If I hadn't known better I would have regretted my actions but not this time.

It's like Finty had said, everyone is short sighted and materialistic, everyone here on the surface that is. Therefore there was no reason to feel bad for any of them they were all either greedy or stupid or both.

Sigh

I checked myself in the mirror before leaving, I looked rather injured, oh well I stole that first aid kit for a reason.

Speaking of injuries I hope Finty respawns with a disfigured face.

I stepped right over the puddle left over from splatting him, he was so proud of himself for being able to respawn, what a joke.

If that's the case then I don't care anymore, I'll splat any Inkling who gets in my way.

After all I had never met any good Inklings.

I used to say that not all Inkling were bad but…

Macrum, those two police officers, Mother Superior, Taleesa, the Tower staff and Finty. Not a single one of them actually cared enough to help me.

In fact I bet Taleesa and Mother Superior knew about my bounty as well!

Not all Inklings are bad? HA! That's not right.

The correct phrase should be: "All Inklings and bad!"

Smarten up Nathalie! I told myself, Trust less!

I walked out of Finty's apartment without even closing the door behind me, hopefully he gets robbed before he respawns. He deserves it. In fact I hope similar things happen to the Inkopolis Tower staff, Macrum and everyone else I've ran into!

They are all materialistic and short sighted, caring only for themselves.

In fact I bet the reason why Inkopolis looks like such a great place is because it helps Inklings con other creatures living here.

Like devils they attract unsuspecting creatures who don't know better and mess up their lives.

Inkopolis? More like hell.

Why couldn't I see it before? All those broadcasts by Octavio and the Octarian army had been right all along.

This wasn't Octo Valley, this was a different world, a place where smiling left you vulnerable, where happiness mean't weakness, where my pain and suffering brought pleasure to the top one percent...

It's time for a change of pace, I'm done trying to get anyone to believe me, I'm done trying to help every random creature I come across. I'll force my way back to Octo Valley if I have to and I'll do it all by myself!

Because in a place like this, it's better to go…

Alone...


	9. Interlude 4: Finty and Arcus

It had been a normal day for Finty, he worked a shift at Grizzco and was now going to play some Turf Wars for the rest of the day.

At Grizzco's he returned the borrowed weapon sets and changed back into his normal clothes and headed out.

However as he walked on through the galleria something caught his eye.

"Police are still looking for an Octoling going by the name of Nathalie." That was accompanied with a sketch of the perp.

That bit was normal however:

"Oh that girl again, have you heard? They say that Macrum is offering up to ten million cash to anyone who helps bring her in." Finty's friend Afra commented

"Ten million cash? That's quite a lot."

Afra nodded "Yeah, Macrum must have really loved that villa of his. But still ten million... how come we don't get opportunities like this more often?"

Finty shrugged "Get real, you really think we could find this one Octoling?"

"Well you never know. Maybe we'll get lucky, turn a corner and bump right into her."

Afra laughed sarcastically as Finty's gaze moved elsewhere.

Hopped off a bus and quickly diving into an alleyway was…

"You know what, I think I left something at Grizzco, wait for me at the Deca tower kay?"

"Sure man!"

Finty waved goodbye to Afra and crossed the street over to the alleyway where he had seen a familiar figure.

He pretended to casually walk on by, however his eyes veered off into the alleyway between buildings.

Peeking out from behind a dumpster was a girl, however she quickly retreated back into the shadows.

She looked scared, what was she doing?

If this was anyone else Finty would have just gone and spoken to her but…

The colour of her hair, the half of her face that he managed to see.

He had just seen them on TV moments ago.

Nobody else seemed to really care since respawning in Inkopolis effectively meant nobody was afraid of criminals anymore, however they didn't know about the rumored bounty.

Finty crossed the street again, keeping the alleyway within sight so that he would see anyone come out of it.

While occasionally looking up, Finty used his phone to find a phone number for any of Macrum's businesses, in order to figure out a way to contact their boss.

Soon he got a call from Macrum himself.

"Hello, I heard you have some urgent information for me." came Macrum's voice on the other side."

"Why yes I do, but first I just want to make sure this rumored bounty is an actual thing."

"Oh it's true, why would I lie? I've got money so I may as well hand it out while doing some good."

"Great, I think I saw the Octoling you're looking for but I'm not sure yet.'

"Not sure? Well then I'm not giving you a penny."

"I know I know, I'll call again once I've made sure."

Finty hung up.

He could barely believe it.

The bounty was real and the target was sitting behind a dumpster just across the street.

Ten million cash just sitting there…

He would not pass up this opportunity.

Ahh but it would be weird if he just ditched Afra, especially since things were going so well between him and her.

Finty decided to catch up with her first, play a few rounds and return later, hoping that Nathalie will not have moved by then.

* * *

Unfortunately a "few rounds" turned into many and by the time Finty left the Deca Tower the sun had set.

Finty returned to the place where he saw Nathalie hiding just moments ago. However she was no longer hiding in the alleyway.

For a moment his heart sank, he had just lost ten million money.

But then he looked up and saw Nathalie just down the street.

What a relief, Finty hurried over but then he stopped.

How was he supposed to capture a live Octoling for Macrum anyways?

He could try and fight her, but what if she was tougher than he was?

Also would it not be suspicious for a guy to be jumping some girl in the middle of the street?

He would have to try a different approach.

"Umm.. Hi there, are you lost?"

Nathalie panicked, she began frantically looking about, as if she was about to run.

' _No wait I can't spook her, let's just pretend I don't know her for now.'_ Finty decided

"Is this your first time in Inkopolis? Why so nervous?" He asked

"I'm fine thank you." Nathalie still did not turn around

"Why won't you turn around? Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Come on, no need to hide, turn around."

"Was that so hard? There's no need to hide such a pretty face."

"You're right, I had nothing to hide, now excuse me I have to get going."

"Hmm? Do you have business with Jelfonzo or something? Why are you peeking around Ye Olde Cloth Shoppe?" Finty just played along acting as if he had no clue who Nathalie was.

And Nathalie fell for it.

She revealed that she wasn't from Inkopolis and was currently homeless, leaving herself wide open for Finty to offer a false sanctuary

"... You know, if you are telling the truth, you could crash at my place until you get back on your feet."

"W-what?"

"Don't worry, I promise I won't try anything, I've only got eyes for a certain someone else… heh.."

Nathalie, being lonely and scared, was overjoyed by the offer. She didn't even stop to think about it before accepting.

And that led her into making some bad decisions.

* * *

Nathalie followed Finty back to his apartment and stayed there for a night, after that Finty told her to stay put while he had to go do some work.

He told her that he would be working until later that day, though that wasn't true, Finty only had shifts in the morning, he would be back in the early afternoon.

The reason for that was simple, Finty was going to contact Macrum right after he finished work.

He had shot a few pictures while she was sleeping as proof, Macrum would not be able to deny that he had the right Octoling.

Finty met up with Afra and the two worked their shifts, however once they were done Finty denied playing any Turf Wars that day.

"Sorry, I have something else I have to do?"

"Oh what is it?"

"Uhh nothing, you know just looking for something higher paying than Grizzco."

"Hah! You never were the kind to sit still. Well don't take too long, otherwise I'll rank up and you'll go back to chasing me."

After saying goodbye to Afra, Finty walked over to a limo parked near Grizzco.

The passenger in the back was a well dressed but elderly blue Inkling and he had been expecting him.

"Ahh there you are, I was beginning to wonder if you got my message." Macrum greeted Finty as he got in the back of the limousine.

"Of course I did! I wouldn't miss this for the world. But wow! Do you always travel around in a limo?"

"Impressed? With how much you're about to make, you could get one of these for yourself, but let's not waste any time now."

Indeed they had business to do.

Finty led Macrum back to his apartment however Nathalie was not there when he returned.

"I… I don't understand she was here this morning…"

"Of course she was…"

"No I'm serious! Wait don't go yet!"

"Sigh another false lead, this is the problem with making generous offers."

"I'm not lying! She was here!"

But Macrum just left without another word.

Later Finty discovered that Nathalie had gone out because she had gotten bored.

One part of him was annoyed that she had gone out and in turn screwed him over by evading Macrum, but he was also relieved to see her return.

Because now he would have another shot at ten million.

* * *

As for what Nathalie had done while she was away, she had tried to help local paramedics deal with a disease previously unseen in Inkopolis, though she ran when she felt like she had been caught.

Although it was strange, paramedics relayed everything Nathalie had told them over to the doctors at Inkopolis' Cephalic Hospital and soon the sick worker was cured.

With a good day's rest he would be perfectly healthy again.

And if a similar situation occurred again, Inkopolis would know how to deal with it.

But the question now was, who to credit for the treatment? Nobody knew who Nathalie was.

Before any rumors could spread however, news had gotten to Macrum's ears.

After all Inkopolis Tower absorbed and distributed Zapfish energy and where Zapfish are involved you can be sure that Macrum owns a stake in it.

It didn't take long for Macrum to ask around and discover Nathalie's involvement.

He was not about to lose his life's work to some Octoling, not again.

Therefore he had to make Nathalie as least trustworthy as possible.

"Don't you find it strange that a young girl from Octo Valley would conveniently show up just as one of your co-workers catches a disease that comes from Octo Valley? Isn't it even more strange that said girl conveniently knows how to treat that worker?" Macrum and a ew others spread this rumor out to Inkopolis Tower.

That was all they needed to do, because that rumor would soon grow worse once everyone realized Nathalie was supposedly a criminal.

Only one conclusion could be drawn from all that: Nathalie brought the Buracis bacteria from Octo Valley to infect Inkling then save them to try and gain their favor.

Of course, this was not true in the slightest, as thousands of Octolings had moved to Inkopolis in the recent year and any one of them could have brought it over.

Still Macrum had achieved his goal and Nathalie had one more crime on her rap sheet: an act of terrorism.

* * *

The next day Finty was caught speaking on the phone to one of Macrum's companies trying to get his attention once again.

Nathalie, having already been angry at other Inklings for how they treated her, had pinned all her hopes on Finty only to have those hopes shattered.

Thus ended any positive view Nathalie had on Inklings.

No not just that, some changed that day.

Nathalie who had once been selfless and caring, positive and sweet, finally snapped, abandonning those aspects out of anger.

And Finty? Well he was beaten out of anger then splatted by Nathalie.

He respawned of course but his face still hurt and his home was a mess.

' _What a whack job, that girl is absolutely nuts!'_ He thought, feeling his numb face.

He was going to call Macrum again and he better have some kind of compensation for this.

Finty called and called, until finally Macrum decided to hear him out.

When he finally mentioned being beaten up and having his home ruined that finally got his attention.

"Then call the IPD and tell them you were attacked in your home, that will add more crimes to her list and motivate more creatures to be on the lookout for her." Macrum explained.

What about the ten million?"

"I'm not giving you ten million for letting her escape, I don't even know if you really had her to begin with. If you really did, then there should be nothing stopping you from calling the police instead of me."

Finty squeezed his phone in anger, this little venture of his ended up bringing him nothing.

However things were not so simple, because Nathalie's actions and Macrum's bounty had attracted even more attention…

The Inkopolis Parliament Building, where many of Inkopolis' politicians would be to discuss the most important matters, is where the word of Nathalie went.

The one most concerned about this was the minister of defense, named Arcus Hilgendorf. (Anybody remember him from Old Hatreds?)

"I don't understand, why bring up this girl out of nowhere? Doesn't the IPD have this handled?" one of Inkopolis' ministers asked.

However it wasn't just Arcus who had trouble regarding Nathalie.

"It's not that simple, first off this "Nathalie" isn't registered anywhere as a citizen of Inkopolis, we don't even know how she got here in the first place." Arcus explained

"So just arrest her and be done with it, there's already a warrant out for her arrest."

"Easier said than done" Another minister spoke up. "Nathalie's been accused of many things, though the most extreme one being a terror attack in Inkopolis Tower. However so far the IPD doesn't seem to have gathered much evidence. In fact in regards to the terror attack, all we have to go on is that the bacteria used happens to originate from Octo Valley."

"Either she's good or our law enforcement is just incompetent."

"Or maybe they are just on the wrong track, after all they are trying to predict her movement based on the reported crimes. The problem here is, if we charge her with all these crimes and it turns out she wasn't behind this, what would Octo Valley think? We would be giving the impression that we discriminate against Octolings."

The trouble here wasn't just capturing Nathalie, but the possible repercussions of doing so.

These ministers knew that there might still be some lingering hate for Octarains in Inkopolis, that is why they had not gone public about Octolings moving to the surface, rather they just played it off as Inklings getting a fancy haircut for their safety.

However Octo Valley was watching and in order to maintain peace between the two countries, they couldn't have officials making one of theirs feel unwelcome.

"Also, there have been rumors that the multi-trillionaire Macrum Harker has placed a bounty on Nathalie's head." Added Arcus.

"That's not illegal though… is it?"

"No, though it rarely ever happens. It's strange for an individual to be so interested in seeing a single Octoling brought to justice."

"How would the public react to this? There are many hot blooded Inklings out there, mainly Turf War players who might want a shot at all that money…"

"Right it would be chaos if all of a sudden Octolings started getting attacked because someone thought they were Nathalie…"

"Well you have my attention, what you have in mind Arcus?" asked Prime minister Steenson.

"Glad you asked." Arcus and a second minister stood up. "In recent years the IPD have proven ineffective when dealing with matters involving Octarians, so the ministry of justice and defense have been collaborating to create a special investigation task force. " Arcus

The minister of justice then took over "The task force is made up of five and they report directly to the government. We call it the G5 task force, unlike the local IPD detectives, this task force is granted immunity from the usual rules that affect the IPD and are allowed to operate outside of Inkopolis." he explained.

"We've taken precautions in order to prevent corruption in the ranks of this task force and have picked out the best officers we could find. I'd say it's time to put them to the test. Have them conduct their own investigation alongside the IPD." Arcus suggested.

"Hmm, so that project has finally bore fruit… Very well send them in, let's see what they can uncover." Steenson decided "But warn them to be careful, we can't do anything that may upset Octo Valley."

It took years for Octo Valley to finally return to decent terms with Inkopolis, though Octo Canyon was now the hotbed for anti Inkopolis activity it was still preferable for Inkopolis to maintain it's relationship with Octo Valley to prevent them from going back to Octavio.

Arcus immediately made a call.

"Garrett speaking." Came the voice on the other side. "Good to hear from you Arcus."

"Eddy! I hope you and the others are ready, cause Steenson just gave us the go-ahead. Start investigating the Octoling Nathalie, but be through. We've put alot of work into making this happen, so no mistakes got it?"

"Understood, I'll get right on it. Garrett out."

* * *

Over at a new mansion, Macrum was rather annoyed.

He had put a bounty on Nathalie's head in order to motivate others to bring him information, but so far it's all been false leads, just a bunch of random sea creatures trying their luck at some free cash.

"What a pain…" he muttered.

"Sir we've got some urgent news…" One of his associates whispered into his ear.

"What now?"

"Well… You aren't going to like this, but according to Maxwell a second team of detectives has started looking into Nathalie."

"What? Some private investigators?"

"No, it seems like the government is getting involved, they picked out several promising characters from the police department and sent them to start looking into this.. In fact they may be on their way to question you now."

Macrum pondered… "interesting…"

If anyone was looking into Nathalie, he would definitely be the first one to speak with, since he was the first to report a crime committed by Nathalie, but he can't have Nathalie revealing what happened at that villa, so he had to either convince them to work for him, or send them on the wrong track.

Garrett however wasn't one to be bribed, neither was anyone else on his team.

Macrum could tell by just a glance, these guys meant business and with the Inkopolis government giving them immunity, it would be tough to stop them.

"So you are absolutely certain it was her?"

"Yes of course, I've shown you the footage haven't I? It's clearly her."

"Hmm okay I think we are done here." Garrett said

"Already? Don't you want to inspect the ruined villa?" Macrum asked

"It's too late for that, we won't uncover anything." Garrett explained "Though if you find anything, please let us know." He said, handing a card to Macrum.

Macrum glanced at the number on the card and then asked "Can't I just go to the IPD?"

"Under normal circumstances yes, but this time we are conducting our own investigation from scratch. Now we must get going." With that Garrett left leaving Macrum rather worried.

If this government backed task force was getting involved, it would only be a matter of time before they catch Nathalie and hear her out…

When they do, they might actually believe her…

All that means he had to get to Nathalie first.

Now that Garrett and his task force had left, he decided to take more drastic measures. Calling one of his associates he told them "Raise the bounty on Nathalie to ten billion!"

What's the point of being the richest Inkling alive if you didn't use that money? Besides ten billion was nothing to Macrum, yet it was more money than most Inklings would ever see.

If this didn't work, well then he would just raise it even higher.

Nathalie would not ruin the life he has made here in Inkopolis.

There were now three groups after one Octoling, but who would get to her first? Only time would tell.


	10. No More Room In Inkopolis

Once again I find myself running.

Once again I find myself alone.

Once again the Inklings I decided to trust turned their backs on me.

How many times has it been now? I'm tired of it! I should have learned my lesson already. I kept telling myself not to rush to such conclusions, that maybe I've just had some bad luck and as long as I stay positive things will work out, but honestly what's the point?

This is not Octo Valley, this is Inkopolis, an Inkling dominated society and as we should all know, Inklings should NEVER be trusted. I was reluctant to believe it before, but now I see why Octavio and the Octarian army kept saying all those nasty things about Inklings.

It had to have all been true, Inkopolis starting the war, Invading the old Octopolis and sending us underground… Then the recently recovered Zapfish being stolen again by a certain Agent 3… Well that's not recent anymore, I heard that years ago back when I was still just a scholar along with Alex. Back when I still believed that there were no real bad creatures and that helping everyone was the key to happiness.

'Sigh' I guess maybe everything I used to believe in was nothing but the delusions of a child.

I tried being nice, I tried helping, I told the Inkopolis Tower staff and paramedics how to deal with a disease they did not know of, I helped maintain the Molluscs of Mercy orphanage, I even allowed Macrum to beat me up because I thought that could help him get over his anger. Now look at where it brought me! Imprisoned, tortured, betrayed...

I'm back to hiding the alleyways of Inkopolis, shadowed areas neglected by the common folk of the surface.

Since I have a bounty on my head, any average creature might want a shot at me. So I can't just walk out into the daylight as carelessly as I did before.

So now I'm afraid to walk out into the open and I'm constantly looking over my shoulder.

Why did I think that smiling would make the rest of the world smile with you?

…

I spent the day sitting and hiding, hoping nobody would find me.

During that time I took a closer look at my Dualies and thought back to what just happened.

Finty, a complete stranger who seemed kind at first glance, he was an Inkling and I was naive to trust him. In the end, I lost my temper, beat him to a pulp and splatted him.

I had never splatted, let alone fought anyone before, yet having an ink based weapon like this made it feel so easy.

Well it's not like it mattered, Finty said Inklings could respawn here in Inkopolis, tch. Of course there would be some stupid gimmick like that.

If that's the case I'll shoot any Inkling who even tries to talk to me, it's safer that way. Plus they've been backstabbing me left and right, they also won't die, so really I shouldn't feel anything when splatting them…

Still have to be careful, it was pure luck that I was able to get away all those other times, but luck alone won't get me home, and I'm still no fighter, so I can't just be running into trouble.

…

I was hungry, after that fight with Finty I didn't get any lunch or dinner. Speaking of that fight, I should probably have been hurting as well, but it seems like it doesn't bother me anymore. I'm guessing that's a side effect of Macrum's torture…

Well that aside I want to eat something, but I can't just go out there… I also don't have anymore money, since I tossed all the coins I had at Finty out of anger…

I can't believe I'm doing this… But beggars can't be choosers…

Like I had previously mentioned, these alleyways were usually places for dumpsters, it may be disgusting to sift through somebody's trash, and there are countless health issues with it, but I don't see how else i could find something to eat.

Hmph, what an awful life the surface has brought me, how in the world did I ever see this from a positive point of view before? I'm so stupid going around labelling misfortune as an 'experince' and pretending that everything was going to be okay.

It's best I return to Octo Valley as soon as possible.

I rummaged through trash bags, finding discarded wrappers, empty cans and other junk, so far there was nothing edible.

Maybe I should hide near a restaurant and loot their trash instead… They'd probably toss out leftovers, right?

Soon I found random organic waste, such as fruit skins and fish bones.

Luckily someone did toss what appeared to be a half eaten sandwich…

Pretty recent too, since the bread hasn't gotten moldy yet, but it still had bits of other stuff stuck to it, part of the bread had also soaked in what appeared to be melon juices, it did not look appetizing in the slightest, but it was better than nothing I guess.

I'll pick off the bit which looked questionable and only eat what looked safe to eat, I can't be getting sick at a time like this.

I tore off much of the sandwich as it looked unedible and tossed those bits back into the dumpster, then I reluctantly took a bite…

Odd… I was expecting something disgusting which I would struggle to even chew on, let alone touch with my tongue, yet this was almost tasteless, like a soft tofu eaten on it's own.

I searched a bit more and found what was left over from a microwaveable meal, a plastic tray with four separate sections, though three were empty and the fourth had what looked like cranberry sauce left inside.

Whoever ate this meal must not like the cranberry because they didn't touch it, they didn't even remove the film that was covering it.

With another sigh I scooped out the cranberry sauce with my fingers and put it in my mouth.

Once again, it was almost tasteless, like eating plain white rice… Is something wrong with my tongue? No it's not just that, when I dipped my fingers into the sauce it felt cold and hard.

Hmm… I wonder…

I poked my head back into the dumpster and took a huge breath but smelled nothing, maybe something is wrong with my senses… But what could have happened? I was fine just hours ago…

Now that I think about it, I didn't feel any sort of pain when fighting with Finty, but I thought that was because of the torture Macrum had previously put me through…

Oh well, this doesn't bother me, in fact this might even help me, I don't think I could eat garbage and sleep on concrete if I could still feel, smell and taste… But I should be careful, I know a few diseases which ioss of certain senses, however none with the combination I just listed. I would start paying extra attention to my heart rates, and temperature, but it's hard to do so when you can't feel…

No that's not it, that's not the right way to put this, I didn't lose any senses, but it all feels the same, everything feels cold and hard, everything tastes bland, even the scent of garbage doesn't seem any different from regular air. Hmm… Maybe this isn't some sickness, but a psychological issue? If I had studied more I probably could have figured it out by now.

Hmph, I can only blame Inklings for that…

* * *

"Y'all know what time it is!"

"It's Off the Hook coming at you LIVE from Inkopolis square!"

What in the world was that!?

I woke up with a fright, my eyes were blurry for a moment and I couldn't really see, but I still reached for my Dualies just in case someone was out there.

When my vision cleared I saw nothing around me, thank goodness…

"Check it! Here are the regular Ranked Battle Stages!"

What a loud voice! Where is it coming from! Who shouts like that first thing in the morning?

I would peek out of my alleyway and see, but it could be dangerous… Well maybe if I do it really quickly…

I poked my head out.

There were large screens attached to nearby buildings and they were all showing the same channel. Hold on, I've seen that channel before haven't I? Right, it was Inkopolis News wasn't it? The one featuring both an Inkling and an Octoling?

Off the Hook, as they called themselves, went on talking about Turf Wars and Stages, I don't really know what that meant.

Meh, since I discovered the source of the loud voices, I quickly backed into the alleyway again, no need to show my face around here.

I still felt a tad drowsy, so did some quick stretches to wake myself up.

It wasn't exactly early in the morning, I used to be able to wake up much earlier, but well, it's hard to fall asleep when you are afraid for your life.

"Here are the League battle stages!"

Jeez, does everyone have to know this?! Why are news channels being played out loud in public areas?

"Now onto other news, there's been a string of crimes lately."

Oh let me guess, they are talking about me.

"Police believe the perp to be just one Octoling, ain't that crazy?!"

I knew it, who else would it be? Everything I do is either twisted against me, or omitted from view.

"But that's not the end of it, while police have had no luck, the trillionaire Macrum Harker has stepped in, offering a whole ten billion cash for anyone who can catch the crim!"

What…

"Oh my, ten billion, that's enough to live your whole life without working!"

"That's right Marina, but an early retirement sounds way boring. I'd say anyone with that kinda dough lying around should go party till it's gone!"

"Err.. isn't that a bit careless?"

"Maybe, but where's the flair in being too careful?"

"Well I can't disagree with that. Still, all of our viewers out there, ten billion may be alot of money, but do remember to stay safe out there. Try to leave these things to the police."

I took a peek back out of my alleyway just to confirm that this was that same news channel with the black and green Octoling next to the white and pink Inkling.

Surely enough it was…

I'm sure an Octoling would recognise me as someone from Octo Valley if they saw me and I doubt any normal Octoling would eagerly talk about a bounty on one of their own kind.. So either this Octoling hasn't seen the police sketch of me yet, or she's just been brainwashed into doing whatever the Inklings want. Honestly I wouldn't put it past the Inklings to do something like that.

That aside, the bounty on my head was ten billion? Didn't Finty say it was ten million? Did he misheard it or has the bounty just risen? Macrum must really want to take me back into captivity…

...No! I can't go back there!

I still remember all the pain, the daily torture, the forced labour, all those other Octolings curled up waiting to die...

I really don't want to go back to that villa, I don't want to see Macrum ever again, why can't he leave me alone?

Just thinking about it leaves me drenched in cold sweat…

"Are you alright?" I heard someone ask.

I stared wide eyed to the source of the voice, there stood an Inkling. He looked about Finty's age and had light blue hair. I would take the time to further examine his appearance, but I know that it won't matter. All Inklings are the same.

"What are you doing? Are you hurt?"

He approached me slowly, eyes full of concern, as if I was going to fall for that a second time.

As soon as he was close enough, I kicked him in the chest, then I quickly drew my Dualies and shot him before he could say another word.

He'd respawn anyways, so who cares if I'm a little rough? My own safety is more important than whatever he might say.

Besides that news channel just announced the bounty on my head, so that definitely Inkling knew about it and was probably trying to pull something like Finty did. In fact I bet he's running back here at full speed after his respawn.

Time to move.

If only I had a hood or mask something to help hide my face… I guess I'll just have to keep out of sight…

Wait, instead of walking out into the street, is there another way to move between alleys?

The two buildings here are rather close and the alley is quite narrow, hmm. I recall seeing some kind of 'wall jump' in Octo Valley movies… I wonder if such a thing is possible for me…

I figured I might as well give it a try, I leapt towards one wall, kicked off it… and immediately slammed my shoulder into the other one.

I fell, but it wasn't all that painful, I got back up and tried it again.

I proceeded to fail two more times…

I just can't seem to turn myself around after kicking off a wall, it probably takes alot of practice to do this.

My legs also didn't want to move that quickly, I guess i'm not fit enough for this kind of parkour. Not saying that I'm totally out of shape… But I wasn't that much of an athlete back in Octo Valley either. I only did a bit of exercise to stay healthy and for the past two years I had been malnourished.

This is no good, I guess I'll have to walk out into the daylight after all.

I walked out of the alleyway, many cars were stopped at nearby crossroads, and all sorts of sea creatures lined the sidewalks.

A busy day for Inkopolis it seems, everybody was trying to get somewhere, I don't know if that is good or bad. A large crowd could be a place to hide, but I could also get spotted if I get too close to anyone. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I did.

Speedwalking down the street, I refrained from raising my head and kept looking down at the ground, the less of my face is revealed the better.

I have no idea where I'm going, I just kept walking until I found another alleyway that was inconspicuous enough for me to hide in and with a dumpster to loot.

Sigh…

Too dangerous to move during the day, to nervous to sleep at night and too poor to eat anything other than garbage…

So much for the utopia so many Octarians believed the surface to be… I'm not going to enjoy any bit of this.

What even is enjoyment anymore? It's been so long since I could actually settle down and smile without having to force it upon myself.

Gosh I was such an idiot.

' _Pit pat'_

I heard the sounds of something splattering on the ground. I quickly swerved my head around, but there was nobody there.

My eyes were wide with fright until I realized the sound I heard was nothing but the sound of my own tears hitting the ground.

I don't like this! I don't like it one bit! Could someone please come get me out of this mess!?

"Uhh.. hey are you okay?" Someone asked.

It was another Inkling, this one was a girl but it doesn't matter, another Inkling meant another enemy.

I'm not going to waste any time listening to whatever story she has, it would only distract me.

I immediately reached for my Dualies and caught the Inkling by surprise, splatting her before she could utter another word.

"Trust no Inkling." I told myself as I forced my tears to stop.

I can't keep attracting attention like that, time to move again…

* * *

As I searched for more hiding spots, I noticed other Octolings in the streets.

I wanted to speak to one of them, maybe they could provide me with some information, or at least shed some light on why Octolings were here on the surface to begin with. However so far each Octoling I have passed happened to be hanging out with Inklings.

Poor souls, they have no idea what's in store for them.

I wanted to warn them, but I can't do that in front of Inklings can I?

Wouldn't it be super suspicious if I suddenly butted in on their conversations?

I thought about it for a while, but then I decided not to say anything.

Looking out for others hasn't been good for me in the past, so as tough as it is, I should forget that aspect of me and prioritize my own safety and returning to Octo Valley.

I kept my head down as I walked on, feeling chills down my back everytime an Inkling got within ten feet of me.

With so many large buildings in Inkopolis it shouldn't be hard to hide right?

I found another alleyway, but just as I sat down I noticed something.

Two different streaks of colour on the walls high up above me?

My gaze lowered back down to ground level as I saw two figures peeking around the corner.

Whoever that is, they must be really stupid to think that a few splatters of ink will distract me.

I already had my hands on my Dualies, now bring it on!

So far nobody has tried to splat me so I assume Macrum wants me alive, as long as it stays that way I have the upper hand.

Knowing that I can roll with a weapon like the Dualies makes me the slipperiest Octoling ever to capture and since I know these Inklings can respawn I won't have any sort of hesitation when it comes to shooting them.

I heard three gentle taps and suddenly two Inklings leapt at me.

What were they thinking? That's not going to work.

I rolled forward, under the two Inklings, then I turned back to see four Inklings lying in a neat pile after failing to tackle me.

Four? Wait where did the other two come from?

"Owww" One Inkling groaned

"Hey get offa me already!" I heard the Inkling at the bottom shout up to his friends.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, get that Octoling!"

They all looked younger than I expected, in fact they seemed like a bunch of clumsy teens rather than bounty hunters. Perhaps they, like Finty, just happened to see me and figured they'd take a shot at some money.

Well no time to think about that, time to run.

I backed out of the alleyway while firing both Dualies at my assailants. Only to bump into someone else.

I turned and saw another Inkling.

"Ouch, sorry I wasn't look- Hmm? wait aren't you th-" Before she could say another word, I threw a punch then splattered her too.

"Hey everyone! That Octoling on the news is here!?" I heard a shout.

"Marina?!"

"No the other one!"

It turns out I missed one of the four Inklings who tried to jump me in the alley.

I felt a thousand eyes turn my way., probably filled with money signs too.

Okay so now there are many inklings running at me, while others are standing back and pulling out their phones, probably calling the police. What should I do?

I can't back into the alleyway, it's a dead end and I can't wall jump upwards. If i run I'll probably tire out and get caught by a mob of Inklings.

Luckily it seems that only a small percentage of the nearby Inklings and other sea creatures actually wanted to catch me, most were either bystanders or they were calling someone.

But there were still a good few Inklings who had weapons of their own, they fired ink onto the ground and walls before transforming and swimming like a pack of piranhas towards their prey: me.

Hold on… you can do that?

There were Inklings who were swimming on walls, completely unaffected by gravity, simply by hopping into their own ink.

I had no idea it was possible, I mean I rarely ink anything so how would I have known?

Well if that's the case, back into the alleyway with me!

Unfortunately I was so caught up in my discovery that I completely forgot about the Inkling I had missed.

"Gotcha!" He exclaimed as he leapt on me, forcing me down to the ground.

I switched to Octopus form and started slapping him with all eight tentacles and squirming with all my might.

"Ah ah! Stop that!" the Inkling complained, his grip on me started to weaken and I slipped out.

This time, instead of trying to wall jump up two buildings, I'll just ink the walls and swim up!

Of course, my pursuers could do the same.

I haven't used these yet, but my Dualies came with balloons which were apparently filled with ink and meant to me thrown like bombs. I think that strange weapon shop owner called them Burst Bombs? Yes that sounds about right...

As soon as i reached the rooftop, I turn around and started tossing burst bombs down the alley, hoping to splat some of my pursuers before they got any higher.

Those who were scaling the wall after me hopped in and out of their different ink trails to quickly fire their ink weapons, some of them got a face full of Burst Bomb when they did so.

However despite having "bomb" in their name, these Burst Bombs didn't even splat anyone even with a direct hit.

Tch, so much for that idea, time to run.

I started firing covering the rooftops in my own ink in order to swim away.

I hopped over a small gap to reach a second building then I turned around.

There were about a dozen Inklings behind me…

What would happen to me if they caught me? No! Don't think about that! Just run!

I told myself not to look back, not to think about anything else, just focus on getting away.

Hop out of Octopus form, fire a line of ink, switch back into Octopus form and swim, repeat this pattern over and over until you don't hear any more Inklings behind you.

' _Huff huff'_

It's tiring but I think it's working…

Is it?

No it's not.

Like I said I'm no athlete and I'm been malnourished for two years, I barely have any stamina, my legs already feel like giving out.

What should I do?

I turned to face the Inklings, who were shouting at me to give myself up.

I was drenched in sweat and I could barely run, but maybe I can fight?

These Inklings won't splat me anyways, but if just one of them gets too close it will be over.

I raised my Dualies, but found my vision to be blurry, being out of breath really hampers with aiming as I have just learned.

I must have ran a long way, there was a lot of my ink left behind me, but I could barely make it out because everything looked bright and fuzzy, I don't know what to do.

Perhaps I am too tired to go on… I'm even seeing sparks in front of me…

Sparks? Why would I see sparks?

Hold on, these sparks were coming from the Splat Dualies and the reason why everything looked so bright was because the tentacles on my head started to glow for some reason…

The Dualies were making a chiming noise and the left Dualie had a flashing button on it… What could it mean?

Since i'm out of options, I may as well press it, maybe i'll get luckily.

' _Kachink'_ came a mechanical clanging sound from behind me.

A circle appeared before my eyes and crosses appeared on five Inklings standing within the circle.

There was a electronic _'Beep'_ sound followed by several whooshes.

The Inklings chasing me looked up and began to run in seemingly random directions.

Since I wasn't sure what was happening I looked up as well.

There were a dozen or so projectiles in the sky, shaped like missiles.

They rained down on the scrambling Inklings, leaving only a large puddle of magenta Ink behind.

"D-did I do that?" I said to absolutely nobody for I was the only creature left up here.

I was in awe, one moment there was a dozen Inklings bunched up and chasing me, the next moment they were all gone.

Do all Inkling weapons have a feature like this? How terrible would it have been if those were Octolings who got splatted and couldn't respawn?

I don't know what I just did, but these Dualies just saved my life.

I should take a closer look at them and figure out what happened…

That is AFTER I get somewhere safe.

I was too tired to keep on changing forms and firing ink everywhere, so with my teeth grit and my mind on autopilot, I forced myself back into a sprint through the rooftops.

* * *

Lying down for some rest, I gazed up at the sky, or at least what bit I could see.

So in the last few hours I have learned that my stamina is awful and that the Inklings coming after me aren't trying to splat me.

I was wondering why that was, and not just that, but why so many Inklings were willing to risk their lives to chase after me.

Then I realized it had to be because of the whole respawn shenanigans. In a world where you can return from being splatted, there is no such thing as risks, danger or even murder, so it really doesn't matter what I do, they'll just keep coming over and over again.

But I can't respawn and they seem to know that, since no Inkling has tried to splat me yet.

Maybe it's because I'm so weak they don't even see me as a threat? After all, I can only splat them temporarily, or maybe Macrum wants to take me back and get some revenge first? Either that or he wanted to make sure that I never convinced anyone to look into him before getting rid of me.

Anyways it's safe to assume that to claim Macrum's bounty, I have to be brought in alive. It would be over already if they could just splat me, but luckily for me that wasn't the case.

Still, as long as I stay here, Inklings will keep coming after me. With the news constantly bringing me up, the number of pursuers will just keep increasing.

This wouldn't have happened anywhere else, only because this is Inkopolis, a place where Inklings can respawn, yet I can't. It's almost as if the city itself is working against me.

I really hate this place…

Oh yeah... Also apparently my Dualies can turn into giant missile launchers if certain conditions are met, though I have no idea what...

"...Nathalie?"

I heard a voice, someone calling my name.

They sounded quite uncertain and somewhat nervous, almost like they were afraid of uttering that name out loud.

However, the only creatures who know my name are either dead or a backstabber.

I sat up, feeling both Dualies in my hands as I readied myself for whoever might be looking for me.

Like before, I hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway, I peeked out from behind the dumpster and saw a familiar orange Inkling.

She gasped "finally i've found you!" keeping her voice down.

It was Taleesa from the Molluscs of Mercy orphanage… I guess today is her off day, because she is wearing much simpler clothes instead of that navy blue robe and veil.

"What do you want?" I demanded, without letting go of the Dualies behind my back.

"I'm worried for you, everyone is."

"Really? You're worried for me? If I recall correctly you were the one who called the cops on me."

"That was a mistake, honest!"

"And who was it that told everyone I stole from the orphanage?"

"That wasn't us! We know Roman wanted you to take something as a souvenir and my bag wasn't anything valuable. I know the news made it seem that way, I've seen it, but you have to believe me. We never told them such things."

I scowled at her, did she really expect me to fall for such an obvious lie? I bet she's just trying to use our previous time together to get my guard down. Hmph! As if that's going to happen!

"You've seen the news? Then you know there is a bounty of ten billion on me." I said, bringing both Dualies forward to face Taleesa.

"Huh?" She stepped back in shock. Ha, bet you weren't expecting me to actually defend myself were you?

"Let me guess, you saw all those other Inklings run at me earlier and thought that maybe since we met before, you could come and get me without any trouble?"

"No no, that's not it! Not at all!"

"Let me guess, Mother Superior has everyone looking for me so she can make some easy cash and rebuild that tatter orphanage?"

"No, I decided to look for you on my own accord. Mother Superior never ordered such a thing, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care, she's been praying for you everyday since you left you know!"

"Tch! and what is that supposed to do? Make me feel better? I've already figured out what kind of creatures you Inklings are; materialistic, short sighted and self centered. I know you're just after the ten billion."

"That's not it! I mean sure that's probably more money than I'll ever make, but I'm actually worried for you, we all are, something just isn't right here. I'm sure everyone wants to help you, so please trust me."

"Trust you?" That would mean trusting an Inkling again… No, I can only take so much abuse. I know how things will end if I do.

I've heard enough of this nonsense, time to leave. "I've trusted your kind over and over, look where it's brought me! It's clear that common decency doesn't exist up here. I'm done talking to you, goodbye now."

"What are you saying? Nathalie just what happened to you?!"

I glared at Taleesa, she of all creatures should know, it really pisses me off that she could turn me over to the IPD then come running back to me acting all kind and friendly. If I was more irrational, I would love to beat her down like I did with Finty, but I don't have time for that, someone is bound to hear us if we keep talking.

I squeezed both triggers and splatted Taleesa without a second thought.

Her eyes went wide, then she brought her hands up as if to try and shield her face from my ink. Of course it wouldn't prevent her from splatting like any other Inkling.

As I thought, they are all the same. I made the right choice choosing not to believe her.

Now I best get out of here in case someone else overheard all that.

* * *

Since I had rested up a bit, I decided to travel via rooftop for a while, I expected there to be alot less company up here as long as I avoided any fancy apartments with rooftop attractions and there really was.

However I still ran into a few creatures.

There was a group of four Inklings hanging out, so I avoided them. There was also lone Inkling taking pictures of herself who was too distracted to notice me.

Over on the next building an Inkling who seemed to be a sanitation worker showed up just as I was passing by, so I had to splat him just to be safe.

A while later I saw two jellyfish imitating couple behavior, they may be more trustworthy than Inkling, but I should leave them be.

Finally over on another rooftop, I saw another creature, this time it was an Octoling, a female one at that, just like me.

I considered sneaking by her too, but I really wanted to ask for directions. There was always a chance she could be corrupted by Inklings, however an Octoling like her had to have come from Octo Valley. If I don't take this opportunity to ask for directions back to Octo Valley, I may end up wandering Inkopolis for an uncomfortably long time.

There was nobody else around so it should be safe to speak.

I approached the Octoling.

She did not seem to notice me as she looked at something in her hand while muttering something about 'old friend'. Upon closer inspection she looked slightly sad and seemed to be holding an Octoling shaped… something… I never seen anything like that before.

"Hi there!" I said "It's good to see a friendly face up here."

The Octoling turned around "Oh umm yes it is. Hmm? You look familiar."

Ahh right! She's an Octoling not someone who is blind, she had to have seen me on the news.

"Yeah I guess I have that sort of face you know."

"Really? So you get that alot?"

"More often than you think." I didn't like lying to another Octoling, but I wouldn't want to have her remembering my face from the wanted posters.

"So what brings you up here?" the Octoling asked

"Up here as in this roof? Or Inkopolis?"

"The roof of course! We are all here in Inkopolis for the same reason right?"

What reason would that be? Did something happen in Octo Valley? Is that why I've seen so many Octolings up here?

"Right, but let's say I wanted to go back to Octo Valley, is that possible?"

The Octoling looked rather confused "Back to Octo Valley? Why would you want to go back? Isn't Inkopolis everything you've ever dreamed of?"

"No" I replied "Sadly it isn't anything I expected."

The Octoling tilted her head as she went further into confusion, was it that hard to believe that Inkopolis is a hellhole?

"What could possibly make you say that?" She squinted her eyes as if trying to figure me out.

Suddenly her face lit up as if coming to a realization. "Wait a second I remember! You're!"

I quickly brought one finger to my mouth telling her to shush "Not so loud." While my other hand went to my pocket for a Dualie.

The Octoling nodded, would she be scared? I don't know if Octolings like her can respawn here so she might me. Though I don't want to frighten her.

Luckily she didn't seem frightened at all, rather her expression got alot more serious…

"You're the one recently accused of various crimes, Nathalie was it?"

…

Should I lie to her? I could try but it seems like my current behavior was suspicious enough already.

"You can't believe everything the news tells you. Still, do a fellow Octarian a favor and keep it down okay?"

"If you're looking to break into anyone's room here, I won't let you." the Octoling said.

"Why should you care? It's just all Inklings anyways."

"I live here too you know." I didn't notice it before, but this Octoling had moved one of her hands behind her back almost as if reaching for a weapon… When did she do that? Was she so fast I couldn't notice? Or so subtle that I didn't see it?

"I'm not that type of Octoling, like i said; don't believe everything the news tells you."

"Hmm? But Marina doesn't seem like the type too…." The Octoling started to mutter something to herself.

"What?"

Snapping back to the present the Octoling asked "Why are you here?"

"I figured since you are an Octoling you must have come from Octo Valley right? Please tell me how you got here."

"Uhh from a place called the Deepsea Metro… In Inkopolis Square, but it's not a good place."

"I don't care, anywhere is better than here…"

So I have to find a Deepsea Metro in Inkopolis Square huh… I think I've actually been to Inkopolis Square before, or at least seen the name.

"You are leaving Inkopolis?"

"Yes and frankly you should too. This isn't a safe place for us."

The Octoling shook her head "I don't get it, sure you can have different opinions about Inkopolis, but why go around committing so many random crimes? If you wanted to go back couldn't you just ask?"

"I didn't have a choice! Rather I never had a choice in the first place."

"What do you mean? How did you get here in the first place?"

Not this question again, I've been asked that so many times now and everytime I tell someone...

From past experiences, I would say that nobody would ever believe me, but everyone I have told in the past were Inklings…

"Have you heard of a trillionaire named Macrum?" I began.

"Hey Eight! What are you doing up here?" I was suddenly interrupted by another creature.

Both me and the other Octoling turned to the source of the voice. It was an Inkling, that means it's time for me to go.

Before the Octoling could even look back at me, I leapt off the roof, firing Ink downwards at the ground before transitioning to Octopus form to break my fall.

A shame I couldn't stay and talk any longer, it seems like fellow Octolings may not jump to conclusions, perhaps I could have even convinced her to come with me.

I landed between two buildings and immediately ran out, since that Inkling had definitely seen me hop down and would probably look over the edge out of curiosity.

I ran a few blocks before finding yet another alleyway for me to take shelter in.

Now it's time to plan my next step…

I know that there is a Deepsea Metro which connects to Octo Valley, unfortunately I don't know how to get there.

I do know that it is in Inkopolis Square, also that if it's anywhere close by, I should be able to find it on any of the maps posted at bus stations.

However walking out there was dangerous, I've already been spotted plenty of times because I walked out with just my head facing down, it doesn't seem to work very well since my hair is a dead giveaway.

If only there was something I could do about that, but I'm not about to shave my head, that would probably leave me with an even more suspicious look and a bunch of Octotroopers.

Not that I have anything to cut my hair with…

I have to think, think of another way I could make myself less conspicuous…

Maybe something in my bag? There isn't really anything in there though…

I opened my bag and immediately saw the candleholder, it reminded me of the little Octoling Roman, who had once tried to make himself look Inkling like in order to try and fit in.

How did he do that again? He twisted his hair so that the suction cups were hidden then kept it all together in a ponytail…

I could try searching through trash for anything elastic that can hold my hair together, then maybe I won't be so easy to recognise, I'll just have to hide my face by looking downward, though that was pretty suspicious on it's own.

' _Flop'_

Huh?

Something was dropped on me, a net of some sort? Oh I see.

Well… Here we go again…

"Gotcha!" Came a proud voice.

An Inkling hopped down from the building above, bouncing from wall to wall as she descended to slow her fall.

Wasn't that something I was trying to do earlier?

The girl looked rather fit, she held a giant paint brush and wore a blue sailor outfit and a black and white facemask over her mouth… What kind of getup is that?

Also what is with this net? Am I some rare creature to be caught or something?

I'll just transform and hop right through it…

"Ah ah ahhh." the Inkling went as she wagged her index finger. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Watch me."

"That's a rather sharp net that is used to catch waves of violent Salmonid who swim too close to Inkopolis. It's just going to hurt you if you move."

Hmm?

I took a closer look, the net was indeed made of metal wire which seemed to be digging into my skin…

I think I can still pass through it if I use my octopus form, but it will probably leave some really long cuts…. Ouch….

"There you go, just sit tight, don't move too much." The Inkling was acting as if she had already won.

Tsk as if I'm going to let that happen…

If I make slow enough movement I may be able to get this off, however that Inkling will definitely notice.

On the bright side, there was only one Inkling, I doubt she had any friends helping her since she came down from the roof and looked just like the Inkling I saw distracted on her phone.

I guess she wasn't so distracted after all. She must have tailed me until I stopped then hurried away to change clothes and get this net… Though why would she have one just lying around? Does she fight Salmonid? That may explain why she seems alot more athletic than me.

The Inkling started to call someone, I'm guess Macrum, I'll take this time to try and get out of this net…

I tried to move but, I could see the wire already leaving a cut on my arms, who knows what it was doing to the parts of me I could not see. After all, I can barely feel anything anymore…

After two years in the hands of Macrum, I don't think there is any part of my body that hasn't been previously cut, burned or bruised...

Wait a sec… if that's the case… Why am I even worried?

Without hesitation I changed to Octopus form and leapt out of the net! The Inkling jumped in surprise, dropping her phone and pointing the tip of her giant brush thing at me.

The tip of the brush was dripping with ink, it would be dangerous for me to touch that, I'm guessing this is another sort of ink based weapon… Maybe like the ceremonial Octobrushes from Octo Valley that some Octarians have as a family heirloom…

The Inkling pointed the brush at me, though I'm not afraid, no Inkling has tried to splat me so far, therefore this one wouldn't either.

I calmly drew my own Dualies…

"I can't believe you just did that…" the Inkling said, her eyes were wide with shock, then she turned away.

Now is my chance, I fired my Dualies at her.

She covered her mouth and looked back at me just in time and dodged to the side, barely avoiding my ink in the narrow alleyway. Then with a flick of her arm, she made a large streak of ink on the wall and swam up it.

I kept shooting at her but she was rather fast and my aim was clumsy to begin with, shooting a moving target is much harder than it seems.

As the Inkling hopped out of her ink, she tossed some flat looking object, which seemed to disappear when it hit the ground, I saw another one disappear after attaching to a wall.

I don't know what she was doing but if she's going to move around like that I need a wider weapon.

So my gaze fell on the net than have previously trapped me.

I looked at my hands, they had a few cuts on them but I could barely feel any pain, so I figured there was nothing more to do, but to pick up the net and toss it towards the Inkling.

The Inkling was fast enough to move out of the way, but her arm that was holding her brush got caught and part of the net wrapped around it.

Seeing what had happened the Inkling's eyes went wide, so I ran over and clasped my hand over her mouth in case she was about to scream.

"If you shout, I'm going to pull that net over the rest of you then rip it right back off."

The Inkling quietly nodded, I guess even if you can respawn, pain is still unpleasant, so a quick splatting is preferred over being torn up by razor sharp wire.

"Good, now you just wait there." For a moment I considered just splatting her, but then I decided against it, I wanted to try and get some information out of this Inkling. Instead I proceeded to cover my surroundings in my own ink.

By the way, it seems like those things she had thrown were landmines, as they proceeded to burst when I hit them with ink.

While I was doing this, suddenly the Inkling quickly tore off her mask with her free arm and proceeded to barf.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Look at yourself!" the Inkling replied, before averting her gaze from me, she gestured at her phone as if letting me know that she was just reaching for it, then she switched on the self portrait camera and turned it over to me so I could see myself.

I see know why that Inkling felt sick, when I hopped through that net, it left many cuts all over me, although they weren't all that deep there was still fluid leaking out.

I was feeling a bit woozy now, either that is due to the loss of body fluids or just seeing myself in this state…

"Can you get this off me now?" the Inkling asked.

"I should just splat you."

"Well go ahead, you know that doesn't help you in any way."

"It will be satisfying at least."

"Look if you do the crime you gotta do the time, someone will get you eventually, so why not just give up now?"

"And give you easy money? No way"

"Anyone who sees this is going to take my side you know."

"Then you better hope nobody shows up, cause then I'll start rubbing this razor wire against you."

"W-what? No way, I mean... You'll ruin your hands if you do that."

"So? My life has been nothing but pain for the last two years, I've gotten so used to you devils hurting me that I barely feel anything anymore!"

That's right, that's pretty much what Inklings were, devils, pure evil, full of greed…

In fact I think I can even see horns on their heads.

"Now tell me, how do I get to Inkopolis Square."

"I'm not telling you anything. Besides you'll never get there, everyone knows your face by now, the moment you step out of here there will be more coming after you."

"Oh really?"

Well I was already aware of that…

I was planning to find something that can hold my hair together to maybe look less suspicious, but if everyone knows my face it might not be enough, I need a better disguise.

Plus my current clothes have also been ruined from me hopping through that net...

I was already planning to just splat this Inkling after asking for information, but in this case…

"Well then, I'll need your shoes, your clothes and your facemask."

* * *

"Excuse me, how do I get to Inkopolis Square?"

"Oh you're not too far off, just take a right here and go straight."

"Thanks!"

After I had taken that Inkling's stuff, I tossed the rest of the net back over her, then proceeded to patch myself up using the first aid kit I had.

With so many long cuts, I had to use almost every roll of bandage to patch myself up. If I wasn't wearing any clothes over my bandages I'd look like a mummy.

I had twisted my hair to hide the suction cups as I had planned and the facemask I took from the Inkling hid most of my face.

Surprisingly masks like this were actually pretty commonly worn around here, and not just that but there were even those who walked around wearing bandanas over their faces.

Inklings sure have strange taste in clothing.

In order to test my disguise, I had asked a random Inkling for directions and it seemed to have worked since he did not attack me nor call for help.

It was a big risk but in the end it worked out.

Inkopolis Square… No wonder it sounded familiar…

This was the same place where I bought my Dualies and found Finty, so I was already here twice now…

I looked around for any way underground to get to that Deepsea Metro I had heard of…

Since nobody was after me I took the time to wander around and even ask for the Deepsea Metro, but nobody seemed to know about it.

Could that Octoling have lied to me?

Just as I was thinking that, I wandered over to the right of the main tower in the Square, there were stairs that seemed to lead into a subway station but… it looked abandoned.

It was fenced off and had a sign on it saying 'Keep out!'

Maybe it's best not to go in there, it may not even be the metro I'm looking for anyways…

Just as I turned back I heard sirens.

Looking out into the middle of the Square I saw a few police cars pull up.

"There she is! That's her right there!" It was the same Inkling from before, angrily pointing at me from the back of a police car.

Several Inkling officers shouted at me to freeze, as if I would listen to them.

I immediately turned around, but I realized there was nowhere else to go but into the abandoned subway station…

Now I don't know where this goes but I figure anywhere is better than this hell known as Inkopolis…

I vaulted over the fence and into the abandoned tunnel, looking back I saw the officers stop for some reason.

Perhaps they knew something I didn't? Oh well I have no time to think about it now, I just had to keep running.

As I descended into the tunnel I found myself enveloped in darkness. I raised my arms to feel my way forward, although the path kept descending, I thought it would never stop until finally I saw a flickering light.

I was now in a subway station, though it seemed to be very deep underground perhaps deeper underground than Octo Valley…

I don't know what awaits me here, I don't see any living creatures anywhere, but perhaps this is a good thing, because for someone like me, in order to stay safe, it's better to be…

...Alone.


	11. Interlude 5: Garrett and Eight

The day after Nathalie ran from Finty, Off the Hook and Inkopolis News joined the other news stations in reporting both Nathalie's supposed crimes and bounty to the public of Inkopolis.

To Nathalie, this pissed her off even more, seeing that one member of Off the Hook was an Octoling like her, she began to blame Inkopolis for corrupting her fellow Octarian.

But that wasn't the case.

Truth be told, Inkopolis News had held back on reporting Nathalie's activities since the day she escaped from Macrum's villa and was accused of arson. It was just that today was the day they could no longer afford to do so. Even then it was done with regrets.

"I really don't like this Pearlie…" Marina muttered as they reran today's broadcast for anyone who had missed it.

"Hey I don't like this either, telling everyone to hunt down one Octoling for a wad of cash just leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but like the boss said we gotta do what we must to stay relevant in the show biz."

With every other new channel covering Nathalie's actions, Inkopolis News couldn't keep on ignoring it. If this blew up any further Inkopolis would no longer trust Inkopolis News if they were the only channel not covering Nathalie's crimes.

"This doesn't feel right, the Inkopolis government already decided that we shouldn't reveal ourselves as Octolings in case of any lingering feelings from the great turf wars… That's why we've been pretending that all Octolings in Inkopolis are simply Inkling with fancy hairstyles. So why is it that we are openly saying that this one fugitive is an Octoling?"

"I wouldn't know anymore than you would… Say are you worried that Inklings out there will start putting two and two together?"

"I'm afraid it might be happening already. If you are unfamiliar with someone it will be tough to tell them apart in a crowd right? So if someone goes out looking to claim the bounty, won't they attack anyone who looks Octarian?"

"You're right but what can we do? Maybe tell old man Craig about it?"

"I don't know, there's so much we don't know. I wish we could find out more about what's going on with this Octoling…"

"Oh! In that case I've got an idea!"

"Oh?"

"I mean we may be idols but we do work for a news station right? Why not go out and do some news reporter stuff? If this Octoling is all so important, I'm sure the director would love a two hour special."

If Marina wanted to figure things out for herself, the best way to do so would be for them to interview the IPD themselves instead of just presenting what the other stations were already showing.

* * *

Meanwhile on the outskirts of the city, a car sped down the dirt roads towards a certain orphanage.

At first glance, it was your average muscle car, upon closer inspection you would see hidden blue and red lights. It was an undercover car and it was driven by Garrett, head of the newly established government task force.

In the passenger seat was another Inkling, with a medium build and a face as serious looking as Garrett, his tentacles were a dark blue colour law enforcement Inklings. His name was Sven and he was one of the five members of the G5 task force.

While Garrett drove he was on the phone with headquarters as they dug deeper into the recent Octoling case.

"The Molluscs of Mercy was the second place this Octoling was spotted, judging from the distance between it and Macrum's destroyed mansion, it shouldn't take more than a day to get there on foot." came the voice from headquarters.

It was the voice of yet another task force member, a female Inkling named Toria. Having always admired detective novel as a child and having a father who served in the IPD, a job as a detective was her dream, but she was no pushover either, she restlessly pursued this career path and it was that determination which got her selected for this task force.

There were two more G5 members out there, but they were headed for Inkopolis Tower.

These last two members were Catherine and Lock.

Lock was an Inkling who moved into police work after he felt that he had grown too old for Turf Wars, while Catherine was an Octoling, who had served in the Octarian army for a good eight years before hearing the Calamari Inkantation and moving to Inkopolis.

Since the task force was supposed to start their own investigation from scratch, instead of starting where the IPD were already at, they had to hurry, therefore the taskforce had been split up.

They had to go back the path the IPD had been following and question every witness themselves.

So Garrett and Sven sped over to the Molluscs of Mercy orphanage.

The orphanage had not changed much since Nathalie's departure, though Mother Superior was surprised to have guests again.

"May I help you gentlemen?" Mother Superior asked.

"Of course" Garrett replied, flashing his badge "I'm from the newly established G5 task force, I'm Garrett, this is my partner detective Sven. I'm here to ask you about your previous encounter with an Octoling."

"Really? I just spoke with the IPD only days ago."

"Due to certain circumstances the ministers want us to start our own investigation from scratch, so please tell us all about this Octoling…"

It was a strange event, Mother Superior never expected to have to tell the same story twice. But she followed her own principles to help out wherever she could and so she told Garrett everything about Nathalie.

How she arrived, looking completely lost, tired and hungry.

How she volunteered to help out in exchange for a place to stay.

How she got along very well with everyone else at the orphanage, although she would never talk about where she came from.

Finally how both she and Nathalie panicked upon seeing the IPDs sketch of Nathalie on the news.

"Until then, did you know you were helping an Octoling?"

"Of course" said Mother Superior "It's quite obvious she was an Octarian, but I do not believe in discriminating between races as the Great Zapfish helps all in need. Plus she seemed harmless, therefore I let her stay."

"Interesting… You know what you are saying right now, seems to be a completely different story from the one the IPD received…" Garrett pointed out

"I told the officers the exact same thing, I have no clue why it turned out so differently on the news."

As Garrett continued speaking to Mother Superior, Sven spoke with Toria over the phone.

"Okay so I've just ran a search on all Octolings taking up residence in Inkopolis or any cities around it." Toria explained "There are only two with the name 'Nathalie' living nearby, one is a former soldier who lost use of both her eyes and is completely blind, the other is only two years old."

"It's pretty obvious none of them could have committed this crime spree… So we really are looking at someone with no Inkopolis citizenship. Does the IPD have anything on illegal immigrants?" Sven asked

"I thought the same thing, so I've already checked and no, the IPD have had a close eye on Octo Valley ever since Octolings started moving in, so far there has been zero cases of Octarians being smuggled into Inkopolis."

"There's always the possibility that Nathalie isn't this Octoling's real name. Anyone can just give an alias…"

"Even then it doesn't explain the big difference in stories between what the IPD got from the orphanage and what they are saying now…"

"Yes I've noticed that too, I'll call you back if Garrett and I get anything else…"

Sven hung up and walked back over to Garrett who was still questioning Mother Superior.

"I'm saying she was a good girl, so it was all the more convincing. She did any chores that had not been done without anyone telling her too, she helped the children whenever they got hurt and she was friendly to everybody. If not for the fact that she was wanted, I would have let her stay indefinitely." Mother Superior continued.

"If that's the case, why didn't you look for her after she ran away?" Garrett asked.

"I considered it, but there is just no way you can find one Octoling when you have no idea where she is going."

"Didn't she ever mention anything along those lines? You did say she rejected your invitation to stay."

"She only said something about returning to Octo Valley to fulfill a promise, that is it. I don't know how one could get to Octo Valley however. I've only heard rumors about there being a way to get there from the central areas of Inkopolis, but even then I wouldn't know where to look."

Just then, an Inkling came running, her orange hair fluttering in the wind and leaving a could of dust in her wake.

"Taleesa? Today is your day off."

"Mother Superior! I just saw Nathalie!" Taleesa shouted.

"What? You found her?!"

"Yes! Yes I did."

"How is she doing? Is she alright?"

"She… She's changed."

"Changed? What do you mean?" Garrett asked, intrigued by this new development.

"I… uhhh… who are you?"

"These gentlemen are detectives working on Nathalie's case, it's fine, please tell us all what happened." Mother Superior explained

"O-ok well you see I was on my way to meet my friends when.."

Taleesa explained how she recognised Nathalie as she was walking through Inkopolis with her head down so out of concern she followed her to an alleyway where she asked her to return to the orphanage.

However by then Nathalie had already lost all faith in Inklings.

"The Nathalie who first knocked on our door was like a lost child, dirty, hungry and tired. The Nathalie I knew then was always happy and very friendly but now…" Taleesa shivered as she recalled what Nathalie did that day.

There was no trace of the once friendly Octoling who would prepare meals for the children alongside her, instead Nathalie had become bitter and cynical. She did not hesitate to shoot Taleesa on the spot.

"She's stone cold, she didn't believe a word I said and splatted me before I could explain everything." Taleesa said. "It was almost like she became a completely different creature."

What Taleesa said did not align at all with what the news had been saying, but seen how shaken Taleesa was when she recalled that experience made her all the more convincing.

"It's like you said Mother Superior… We betrayed her trust, I don't think we can do anything to help her now…"

"So you've all wanted to help her despite knowing that she is a wanted criminal?" Garrett asked

"Well… I know it may seem hard to believe, but yes. Things just don't feel right, especially after the news twisted our story to say that Nathalie robbed us. It could be that the news wanted some better headlines, but there could be more to it. If I had a second chance I would have kept Nathalie here until I really knew what was going on." Mother Superior declared.

"Very well, thank you for your time."

Taleesa and Mother Superior watched as Garret and Sven drove off.

"What will happen now? Will they catch Nathalie? Is she going to be jailed? Is she really a criminal?" Taleesa asked so many questions which Mother Superior could not answer.

"I don't know… Do you think you could find Nathalie again?"

"Even if I do, she hates us now and she also started using weapons."

"Oh… I see…"

Ever since Nathalie ran away and the news painted it as a burglary, Mother Superior could not shake this sense of guilt, that maybe she had done something wrong and nothing she could do now would fix it.

"Tell me one more thing. Did Nathalie look scared to you?"

"Hmm? I don't think so, she just looked very angry. But now that I think about it… yeah she seemed convinced I was out to get the bounty on her head, so maybe she was scared."

"Then she hasn't really changed all that much…"

' _Nathalie always had a hint of fear in her eyes back when she first arrived at the Molluscs of Mercy. If she one incident was enough to make Nathalie resent Taleesa so much to the point of shooting her, then she must have gone through someone worse, before even arriving at the orphanage… But how could I have known?'_

There was nothing to do now but keep on praying for Nathalie's safety…

* * *

"Yeah she said that Nathalie never stole anything of value and that she had actually spent several days at the orphanage before running away upon finding out that she was wanted by the IPD." Garrett relayed to Toria back at headquarters as he drove himself and Sven back to Inkopolis.

"Well that's pretty interesting, because I just got off the phone with Cath, she and Lock just spoke with the Inkopolis Tower staff who had spotted her and the paramedics who were in the Tower at the time. Apparently there is no real evidence behind the story of her spreading a disease from Octo Valley, it was actually her who helped save the Inkling who caught the Burax disease…. You know none of these stories seem to add up… it's all completely different from the initial accusation by Macrum."

"You think? There is definitely alot that the IPD missed, or maybe they are on the wrong track completely, Sven and I are going to Inkopolis Square, apparently this Octoling has been spotted there several times now."

"I'll meet you there then, by the way Defense Minister Arcus got us in touch with another Octoling, apparently she works with Cap'n Cuttlefish in dealing with matters like this. I'm going to Inkopolis Square to meet her."

"Alright we will regroup there then, what about Catherine and Lock?"

"They shouldn't be too far away, they are going to meet the third victim, an Inkling called Finty who was assaulted in his apartment."

"Alright then, I'll expect to hear from you soon."

* * *

Back in Inkopolis Square, Eight was being kicked around.

Eight was an Octoling, though she couldn't remember her actual name. Eight was just something everyone started calling her after her time in the Deepsea Metro

Just a while ago she was on the roof daydreaming when she was approached by the same Octoling that everyone was after.

Eight had put her guard up as soon as she recognized Nathalie's face, she spoke with her to distract her while she subtly moved for her Octoshot.

"If you're looking to break into anyone's room here, I won't let you." She told her

"Why should you care? It's just all Inklings anyways."

"I live here too you know" Eight was just about ready to enter combat, she didn't know why Nathalie was here, or what her goal was, but she knew that Nathalie had a huge bounty on her head and a long list of crimes. Plus the way she showed no regard for Inklings reminded EIght of the Octolings in Octavio's army, but there was something different about her.

However Nathalie, realizing what Eight had been doing, quickly backed down explaining that "I'm not that type of Octoling, like i said; don't believe everything the news tells you."

"Hmm? But Marina doesn't seem like the type too…." Eight began to wonder, she had seen Pearl and Marina's news reports though if it weren't true, why would they keep repeating the same story all day? Off the Hook weren't the type to sell themselves out as long as it meant furthering their careers.

"What?" Nathalie asked, seeing that Eight had lost focus

Eight shook the thoughts out of her head for now. "Why are you here?" She asked

"I figured since you are an Octoling you must have come from Octo Valley right? Please tell me how you got here." There was a sense of urgency in Nathalie's voice and it was rather noticeable too. Eight at first assumed it was simply because she was on the run and had to leave Inkopolis as soon as possible.

"Uhh from a place called the Deepsea Metro… In Inkopolis Square" Eight replied "but it's not a good place."

Eight had some rather unpleasant memories of the Deepsea Metro, although she had taken down Tartar and passed all of CQ Cumber's tests, it was not without alot of trial and error, plus respawns too.

Though now that Kamabo Corp had gone silent the Deepsea Metro was pretty much silent, aside from a few left over sanitized roaming the tunnels.

"I don't care, anywhere is better than here…" By now Nathalie was convinced that Inkopolis was hell on earth and she would do anything to get out of here.

"You are leaving Inkopolis?"

"Yes and frankly you should too. This isn't a safe place for us."

She had said 'us' as in Octarians, not just herself, making Eight wonder yet again why Nathalie was here in the first place. Though now she understood why Nathalie had such a sense of urgency in her voice and why she was so on edge about Inkopolis; she was afraid of something, but what?

"I don't get it, sure you can have different opinions about Inkopolis, but why go around committing so many random crimes? If you wanted to go back couldn't you just ask?" Eight assumed that Nathalie already knew about the events surrounding Octo Valley, DJ Octavio and the New Squidbeak Splatoon, Inkopolis wasn't nearly as unfriendly towards Octarians as it was in the past. However Eight assumed incorrectly for there was no way she could have known that Nathalie was kidnapped from the Valley before Agent 3's final battle with Octavio.

"I didn't have a choice! Rather I never had a choice in the first place."

Eight lifted an eyebrow, up to now she assumed that Nathalie was somebody sent from the Octarian army, or at least an Octavio supporter since she didn't look fit enough to be a soldier. But apparently she never had a choice?

"What do you mean? How did you get here in the first place?"

Unbeknownst to Nathalie herself, she shivered and her eye twitched just a bit, Eight however noticed this, it was just as she suspected, Nathalie was afraid of something, maybe her question brought back unpleasant memories because Nathalie's fear was on full display for just a second.

Nathalie hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth "Have you heard of a trillionaire named Macrum?"

"Hey Eight! What are you doing up here?" Eight turned around to see a yellow Inkling boy

"Oh Bough!" Eight was familiar with this one, Bough was Agent 4, recruited by Marie into the NSS during Agent 3's absence.

If Bough was here maybe he could help her out, there was definitely something odd about Nathalie, like she said not everything the news said was true, because they made her out to be petty and villainous yet the real Nathalie was not like that.

"I was just talking too- huh?"

Eight turned around to see that Nathalie had disappeared

"Who was that?" Bough asked.

"..."

After a brief explanation both Agents went to Cap'n Cuttlefish to tell him about what had happened and what suspicions Eight had.

Of course, Cuttlefish was more used to dealing with problems outside of Inkopolis, so instead he directed them to Arcus Hilgendorf as the two were very familiar thanks to the original Squidbeak Splatoon. In turn Arcus directed them to the G5 task force.

And so back in the present, Eight was waiting for the task force to show up, as they had been split up in order to catch up with the IPD's investigation.

An Inkling named Toria was apparently on her way here.

Of course, given the NSS' secretive nature she wasn't planning on meeting them as Agent 8, but just as a normal citizen who happened to run into a wanted Octoling.

That was the plan, until she found herself here…

"Come on, what are you planning? Why don't you tell me where that Octoling ran off too?"

One of the Inklings who was clearly after the money on Nathalie's head had seen Nathalie speaking with Eight.

But since Nathalie had leapt off the roof so suddenly and ran away, this Inkling had no other idea but to get information out of Eight.

Of course Eight wouldn't give it up to someone like him.

When Eight didn't speak the Inkling got irritated and decided to use force.

At first Eight thought about fighting back, but the G5 task force was already on their way so there was no need. Perhaps they might get something useful out of him if they arrest him.

So instead Eight played weak and surely enough, soon she heard another voice shouting "You there! Freeze!"

"Huh?"

Garrett, Sven and Toria arrived, Garrett held out his badge saying "You're under arrest for assault, book em Sven."

Following orders, Sven cuffed the Inkling and took him away while Toria hurried over to Eight

"Are you alright?"

Eight stood up, perfectly fine. "Yes of course." She had been kicked a bit, but that was fine, it was nothing. "Are you Toria?"

"Yes I'm Toria, the two behind me are Garrett and Sven… wait… you are Arcus' contact? The one working with Cuttlefish?"

"Yes that's me, my name is well… you can call me Eight."

' _Huh, I was expecting her to be a bit older…'_ Toria thought.

"Alright then Eight, we are in a bit of a hurry so let's get right to business, what happened with you and Nathalie?"

Instead she just explained all that had happened with Nathalie as well as her suspicions that Nathalie wasn't trying to commit crimes but rather running from something.

She also explained how Nathalie had mentioned Macrum before being spooked by her Inkling friend and ran off.

Finally, she suspected that Nathalie would be going for the Deepsea Metro because she mentioned it as how she got out of Octo Valley.

"The Deepsea Metro… Alright then Toria and I will head on over there." Garrett declared.

"Becareful, there might still be sanitized Octarians down there, also I'm pretty sure you can't respawn down there unless you are taking a test and wear the proper equipment." Eight added

"Don't worry, we won't be going in just yet. Thanks for your help." Toria said.

With that the three detectives drove off, once again calling their colleagues to update each other on their progress.

"Garrett here, Toria and I just spoke with Arcus' contact. How are things on your end?"

On the other end of the phone was Catherine "Lock and I just spoke with Finty, the Octoling he spoke of seems to match Macrum's earlier description, someone who would rob and steal for no real reason."

"Really? That's strange, the Octoling we just spoke with tells a very different story, this Octoling Nathalie, she seems to be running scared of something."

"Well this doesn't really add up then does it? Macrum and Finty claim that this Nathalie is a lawless criminal who doesn't seem to have any motives. But the guys at Inkopolis Tower don't know what to believe and think that she spread the Burax disease in order to help cure it and garner sympathy, but that would turn her into a more cunning type of criminal who wouldn't just settle from random arsons and burglaries."

"Not to mention that the Mother Superior Bernice said that Nathalie was like a lost child, malnourished and tired. I'm certain now that the IPD missed alot of things during their investigations. So I've sent Sven to the local precinct to take a look at all the evidence they have collected on this case."

"I can't imagine the local detectives being too happy about that…"

"What other choice do we have? We already started this investigation a week behind, there is no way we can find any hard evidence by now and these eyewitnesses aren't clearing anything up. Though we do have reason to believe that Nathalie might be headed towards the Deepsea Metro in Inkopolis Square."

"Oh! About that it may be too late, we are just passing by Inkopolis Square and there are a ton of IPD cruisers here, hold on we'll take a closer look."

"Got it, Toria and I are on our way as well. Garrett out."

Hanging up and sitting back, Garrett started to wonder just what was going on, he never expected an investigation like this to be easy but right now nothing was adding up.

He had prioritized speaking to all eyewitnesses first since he figured that the evidence the IPD had gathered wouldn't go anywhere, but now he couldn't make any sense of things.

Plus Bernice and Eight both gave stories that contradicted what the news had been saying.

Whatever the truth may be, it was clear that this was much more than the simple case Arcus had assumed it would be.

They would have to look deeper, not just into the evidence and eyewitnesses, but also the IPD and news as well…

Just as Garrett was thinking about that, his phone rang, it was a call from Sven at the local precinct.

"Garrett? Are we supposed to go public yet? Because Off the Hook are here and they want to interview me on the current case."

What great timing…

* * *

Later that day, Eight was returning from Inkopolis Square.

It was getting late and most Octolings had gone to bed, Inklings usually stayed up later but they were starting to turn in for the night as well.

Eight yawned, then suddenly she felt a hand over her mouth and a force propelling her sideways.

She opened her eyes to see the same Inkling from earlier.

"Well well, the cops interrupted our little talk earlier, but first I think a bit of payback is in order. Time for the snitch to get her stitches."

Eight looked around, she had been shoved into an alley and there were four Inklings here, three male one female, they must have been acquainted with the one she met earlier.

Some made fists and punching motions while others grinned with their arms crossed.

Was this maybe revenge for what happened earlier?

' _I guess even Inkopolis has an unsightly side'_ Eight thought to herself as she noted how thug like these Inklings were.

She reached for her Octoshot but then realized she no longer had it.

"Looking for this?" One Inkling taunted waving said Octoshot in her hands.

"Now you better start talking, otherwise you'll be in a world of hurt."

* * *

Macrum lounged in his mansion, life wasn't the same without Octarians to take revenge on, but now that the government was getting involved with Nathalie he couldn't afford to take any risks.

Nathalie had to be silenced, but he also needed information from her, specifically who has she spoken to about her experiences back in the old villa.

A bounty of ten billion was more than how much the average Inkling would make in a lifetime so it was sure to get tons of creatures looking for Nathalie.

Plus he had a few contacts in the IPD who could question then silence her if the IPD ever caught Nathalie.

The problem now was the G5 task force, they couldn't be bought off, or even if they could it was too risky to make an offer to one of them without alerting the rest.

"Sir I have some news…" One of Macrum's butlers whispered into his ear. "Apparently the Octoling you are looking for has escaped out of Inkopolis…"

"...what?! Say that again!" Shivers ran down Macrum's back, if Nathalie escaped it would be just like a hundred years ago, Macrum knew it he knew what the Octarians were capable of and he wouldn't let it happen again.

"She's escaped, the officers say she ran into the Deepsea Metro, although some stations are within Inkopolis borders most of it belongs to the denizens of the deep, so they won't pursue her any further."

'Useless, this is why the IPD can't do anything about the Octarians stealing all my zapfish…Every time someone leaves Inkopolis they back right down! Guess I have to do everything around here...'

There was no other choice, in order to find Nathalie Macrum would have to take even more action.

"Start making calls! Anyone who is still interested in the ten billion should come meet me here and tell them to be ready to enter the Deepsea Metro."

* * *

There were the sounds of a fight nearby, fists landing, metal clanging and creatures grunting, then is all went quiet. A local passerby glanced into an alley and leapt back in shock.

The sound of sirens soon filled the air as an ambulance pulled up.

Bystanders muttered to themselves "who would do such a thing? As they watched the ambulance load up and take off full speed towards the hospital."

Someone was hurt bad…

Actually it was more than one, it was four Inklings…

They lay groaning in four hospital beds, too hurt and embarrassed to tell anyone that one little Octoling girl had beaten them all up, and even after they ambushed her...

As for Eight she was already headed home.

' _What was that all about?'_ She wondered, thinking back to the four Inklings who attacked her.

She had to go through an entire army of sanitized Octarians and even fight Agent 3, four thuggish Inklings was nothing compared to that.

Since this time the G5 Task Force wasn't nearby she figured it would be fine to beat them up in the name of self defense... Though maybe she went a bit too far... _'I do they are alright... They should be, Agent 3 recovered from something worse, so they should be fine.'_

And what about Nathalie? Did Toria and the others catch up with her? Eight hoped that this would not be the last time she hears from them.


	12. Safety In the Deep Dark Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey hey! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, but since this was the first chapter that was taking place outside of Inkopolis it took me a while to get all the little details written down, that combined with my classes made this chapter way longer to write. Don't worry, I'm still uploading the interlude the day after this chapter is up and I still have my plans on how this story will proceed so I don't plan on dropping it anytime soon. Anyways here is chapter 6 and by now Nathalie is nothing like who she was when we first started, how will things go now?

I ran deeper into the dark metro tunnels, tripping over uneven ground and falling down stairs, but I didn't let it slow me down. It didn't hurt when I fell, I think I've stopped feeling alot of things, just recently I realized I couldn't really taste either… Is this some kind of sickness or something else? At this point who knows?

Even if I had learned about something with these symptoms before, it's tough for me to think back and recall it. Those easy days in Octo Valley seemed so distant now, the days from back when all I had to worry about were grades and exams.

Now what am I doing? I've been forced to a point where I constantly have to run or fight, even when I'm not doing that I'm always looking over my shoulder.

Speaking of which, I just did so and saw nothing behind me, well it's dark so I couldn't see much to begin with. It didn't seem like the IPD nor bounty hunters were still chasing me as all was quiet, though I'm not about to take any chances, for all I know my hearing could be gone as well.

Let's keep running…

' _Huff huff'_

Where am I now?

I want to keep running but it's getting harder to control my breathing and for some reason my legs won't move as fast as before, I must be tired…

Why do I even need to think about it? I should know i'm tired because I am!

I slowed to a normal walk before finding a wall to lean on.

I am definitely tired but I didn't really feel that way, my legs didn't feel sore at all.

Looking down I realized just how much sweat was pouring out of me… I poked at my thighs but barely even felt my own fingers making contact.

Something has definitely happened to me, maybe something life threatening even… Though to be honest I don't think I have any way of knowing right now…

After all I did leap through a razor sharp net without feeling anything and also had a fistfight without feeling hurt before that, if I was really sick and was about to fall over and die, would I know?

Well… it's not like I completely lost all sense, I can still barely feel stuff… Maybe i'm looking too much into this… It shouldn't matter, what matters now is continuing on to Octo Valley, I can probably fix everything once I return home…

Only question now is, which way do I go?

I ran away from the Octoling who told me about this place before I could get proper directions, then I dove into the metro at the first given chance without caring for details.

I expected a straight path down to Octo Valley but this metro seems a lot bigger than I expected.

It's quite dark down here, probably cold too, those two are often put together… Along with…

… Sounds of whips crashing against bare flesh…

Followed by red hot metal and sizzling sounds...

Shouts and cries of other Octarians…

Shattered dreams, tortured souls...

This isn't like that right?

J-just cause it's dark and cold doesn't mean things will go back to that right?

I'm safe here right?

There are no Inklings anywhere here right?

I don't hear anything but what if my own hearing was gone and I didn't know it?!

Back then all I could hear were the screams from upstairs, two years of being locked up in one room, only leaving for forced labour or torture…

What about now? I'm underground again, I can barely see anything, it's just like before…

There are no Inklings here! I have to keep telling myself that and keep moving.

Nothing else matters, just get home and everything will be fine…

…

I took a few deep breaths, if I keep thinking about the recent years I'll go crazy, no I should focus!

Focus! Focus… On what? Just getting home?

I've never been the type to just sit quietly, but why am I just running? What will I do once I get back to Octo Valley?

Whatever, I'm sure it will come to me soon.

I continued forward, trying to feel my way through the dark and slowly adjusting my eyes to see just what was down here.

I kept walking on until I came across a dimly lit area.

It was good to finally see some light, though the dark aeras still unnerved me…

Funny, you'd think that a creature who was born and raised underground would be used to the dark, but you never notice how scary a simple patch of darkness could be until you start being hunted.

I quickly unleashed my Dualies firing into every darkened area I could see, hearing the splattering sounds of ink striking hard surfaces.

Good, I think that means I'm safe, also I can still hear so that's a plus.

Why was I so worried about that? In the first place, you can't just lose your senses suddenly and without warning, can you? perhaps I'm being a bit paranoid?

It's probably because of what happened in Inkopolis, being kidnapped and tortured, then finally finding the courage to escape only to find out that nobody in the upper world believes you and most of them want you for money.

In that case, perhaps it's good to be a bit paranoid. When you doubt and distrust nearly everyone you come across it helps you prepare for when they ultimately turn their backs on you.

With that in mind, I started to properly take in my surroundings.

I think I had reached a subway platform, I could see a yellow line marking the end of the floor, beyond that were tracks which led into other tunnels.

There were wooden signs placed at the end of the platform saying 'closed' obviously the station is abandoned, but why are there still some lights flickering on and off? Maybe this place is still getting power somehow, guess someone forgot to unplug this place when it shut down.

How far does this metro go anyways?

I tried to peek into the subway tunnel, but there was hardly any light so I couldn't see very far.

However interestingly, there were hand operated subway cars, well if this was the last station they closed down I guess it might make sense why there are so many stopped here, though I don't know why they would leave them here instead of melting them for scrap.

Oh well, this might come in handy, I don't care where these tracks lead, as long as they get me away from Inkopolis, so I hopped on a handcar and began to pump, gaining momentum as I sped into the dark tunnels.

Then I stopped to let it gradually slow down, you never know what might be ahead. For all I know there could be a brick wall coming up and I'll run right into it.

Eventually the tracks did come to an end, so I hopped off and creeped forward, armed and at the ready.

Whatever station I was in now must be pretty far from Inkopolis, but to be safe I must continue forward.

I noticed a second handcar stopped in front of mine, I don't think it is anything to be concerned about.

Some rather colourful advertisements were plastered on the sides of the tunnels, though they were faded and barely legible in this dim light.

There was another closed sign and some tape as well, but by now it wasn't very noteworthy, this entire subway seemed abandoned so of course there would be such things.

I headed down a few more flights of stairs since I knew my destination was somewhere underground, I soon found yet another platform, just like the previous one it seemed abandoned, dim lights, empty closets… actually this station seemed rather well lit compared to the last one.

There was also a telephone planted right smack in the middle of the platform, it looked rather old and appeared to have a hand crank of something on the side of it… Can I use it to call Octo Valley from here? Let's see…

Where do I even punch in the numbers? Actually who would I call in the first place?

Tsk, forget it, I should keep moving.

I was about to turn back but, I realized I was barely moving anywhere, my arms didn't want to raise up my Dualies and my legs didn't want to take any more steps.

I guess I have been running non stop for a few hours. I think I'm far enough to be safe from Inkopolis, perhaps now is a good time to rest.

Yes, let's rest, just sit down, close my eyes and…

…

What if I wake up and the IPD are there? Or what if those bounty hunters find me? What if I don't wake up at all?

I'll keep at least one Dualie in my hand, that should help me relax… Maybe…

Tch! This is ridiculous, why am I so nervous nowadays? I can't even sleep without a thousand thoughts racing through my head on what awful things might happen to me.

Curse you Inkopolis for making the whole world seem so scary.

Curse you Inklings for forcing me to keep my guard up and not allowing me a minute to relax.

Before I knew it, I had tightened my grip on my Dualies as I thought back to all those times I had been screwed over.

I used to say that no matter what you should smile and try to see things in a positive light, but after what I had gone through, I think it's only right for me to hate Inkopolis and it's Inkling inhabitants.

If I had known things would end up like this… Or rather if I had actually chosen to believe all those broadcasts from the Octarian army and Octavio...

… Well I wouldn't have been nearly as nice as I was before! Hell I would have tried to fight back just like what I did with Finty! Only I wouldn't have waited until I was in an emotional state. Yeah that's right, Inklings could respawn but they don't have much else going for them other than that do they? All they can do is manipulate, steal and splat, just like the Agent 3 individual I kept hearing about back in the Valley.

' _Yawn'_

Urghh the things I let happen around me infuriates me to the core! Why did I think being such a damn softie was a good thing?! Why did I just allow myself to be beaten? Why did I let myself be decieved?

The more I think about this the angrier I get, I don't think I can fall asleep anytime soon.

Hmph! Not like I needed it! I'll just sit here and rest my legs for a few minutes, yeah that will do…

…

On second thought, how about a very long rest, there is no reason to run at the moment…

…

Maybe I should lie down, in a way that allows me to scan for any bad guys of course…

…

I don't need to keep my eyes open all the time, I'll just peek every now and then…

…

zzz...

* * *

When I came too, I heard a loud metal screeching noise. It was so ear piercing it instantly roused me from my sleep.

Hold on, I actually fell asleep? When did that happen? Guess I really was tired, so tired that I had dozed off without knowing it.

I didn't really feel tired though, so why did I just…

Ahh forget it, there are other things to worry about. First off, why is there a subway train here? Wasn't this place abandoned? It was even sealed off in Inkopolis…

The inside of the subway was lit too, it seemed to be occupied, but who could be inside?

Inklings? Please don't be Inklings.

The subway doors opened, as if welcoming me inside. I found it strange that this abandoned metro station might still be active, suspicious too, I would have suspected a trap but who would go through all the trouble of restoring a whole subway just for one Octoling?

Then again the ten billion reward cash was definitely enough to cover the cost…

Yeah I think I should stay away… Though if it isn't some Inkling plot, a working subway could take me further from Inkopolis much quicker…

Well… I have Dualies… I think I'll go check… just in case...

With both Dualies in hand, I gathered myself, took a deep breath and cautiously stepped onto the subway, ready to roll back out at the first sight of trouble. I looked both ways and saw no Inklings.

'Phew' If there are no Inklings then I shouldn't have to be worried.

Thought honestly I don't know what I would do if the Inklings had followed me down here.

That aside…

I gazed at the various sea creatures occupying the subway car. I think I can identify what they are but, only from books I had previously read.

Well here goes nothing…

The closest creature to be was this big guy with a pink organ in its head, its body structure resembled that of an Octoling's but with much larger pecs and arms, I'm guessing it is a sea angel.

Another one nearby had translucent blue skin with a strange head that featured many spherical organs branching off of them, this one was a ping-pong tree sponge.

There was also a rumored 'deep sea' variant of Jellyfish here, with longer heads and a more faded shade of blue skin.

It was like the drawings from the biology books in Octo Valley had come to life before my eyes, if I wasn't being hunted I would have been in awe.

Does Octo Valley know all these creatures exist down here?

Each of the creatures I had mentioned all seemed to be staring right at me for some reason…

"What are you looking at?"

They averted their gazes.

I wonder if they actually understood me, or just realized what they were doing.

Well they seem harmless enough…

I holstered my Dualies and took a seat next to the sea angel. I doubt any of these guys know about the bounty on me, nor would they want Inkopolis money. They don't look like they would live on the surface.

Tch everytime I think about that, I feel pissed, Inkopolis, money and the surface, all of that brings back nothing but unpleasant memories.

"Ding* Welcome aboard. All passengers with CQ-80 devices can press X on said devices to display the Deepsea Metro map… Leave nothing behind." Came a voice over the subway speakers as the doors closed shut.

What is a CQ-80? I saw some other passengers take out white devices with small maroon joysticks on them, they began browsing through something on the device.

"Now leaving Central Station, next stop Gnarly Rails Station."

The subway started moving again.

This subway should lead to Octo Valley right? That Octoling I met in Inkopolis said she came from here… Though there is always the possibility she was brainwashed by Inkopolis and lied to me.

I should find out more about this place, I don't know much about the creatures who live here, but they can't be as bad as Inklings right? No way other creatures could be as selfish and shameless like those damned Inklings!

' _krtttt!'_

Ahh...

I was so unnerved by my own thoughts that my teeth made an unpleasant sound from being clenched so hard. Okay, calm down... I should try and speak to these new creatures.

I turned to the Sea Angel but he turned away from me, does he not want to talk?

I thought everyone was staring at me earlier, but now nobody wanted to make eye contact with me. Oh well, I still need information.

"Hey, you mind telling me how I can get back to Octo Valley from here?" I asked the Sea Angel.

He glanced back at me, shrugged and turned away again. I'm not sure if that means he doesn't know how to get back to Octo Valley, or maybe he just doesn't understand me.

Let me ask something else then.

"That device you are holding, it has a map right? Can I see it?"

He seemed to understand, because he glanced at his handheld device, then back at me, before showing me it's screen. There seemed to be a network of subway lines, right now we were on line A, headed for Gnarly Rails station, I checked ahead but I did not find any 'Octo Valley station' listed here.

Perhaps I have to take another subway.

No wait before I get to that, why is there a subway still running down here?

"Huh, I thought this place was abandoned, are there still subways for all these lines?"

In reply the Sea Angel gave a series of quick nods.

I heard another 'ding' followed by an announcement saying that we were reaching another station.

A few more passed then the jellyfish hopped up and bounced in front of the sponge tree and sea angel. Some took their hands and led them off the subway.

Where are they going?

"It's not everyday you see that many creatures on line A…"

There was a voice, though not like any I've heard before.

The subway was stopped and the doors were open, but I didn't see anyone nearby.

"Since I don't recognise your face, you must be new here."

"Who is that?" I asked

"AHEM!"

"Gahh!" I just noticed something standing right in the middle of the subway car. A bright blue creature with eight long legs sprouting out it's sides and wearing a peculiar hat.

Having got my attention, the creature retracted it's legs, becoming so small that you would have to be eying the floor to see him. No wonder I heard him before I saw him.

"What are you?! No wait, let me think… a Sea Cucumber?" I guessed, I have seen sketches of sea cucumbers, but I never thought they could sprout legs like that, it's a bit creepy…

"Correct, I am CQ Cumber the one and only conductor of this metro."

He's the conductor? Well that explains the hat.

"I understand you are new here, but please refrain from causing a disturbance or making the other passengers feel uncomfortable."

"Excuse me? Did I do something wrong?"

"I am unsure about it, that's why I'm asking you. Everything was livelier until I stopped at central station. After that there was only an awkward silence."

"Hmph, well whatever happened I know nothing about it."

This CQ Cumber… I can't see any eyes on his face but I could feel his gaze, as if carefully inspecting every inch of me…

"I see… Perhaps they were nervous."

"What? Never seen an Octarian here before?"

"Unfortunately I have seen many Octarians here, in fact there have been 10,008 Octarians who have previously rode this metro."

"If there's been that many, why would anyone be nervous? And what did you mean by 'unfortunately?"

"... Your eyes, that would be a start."

"What about em?"

"The previous Octarians I have seen here, either had eyes full of curiosity or brimming excitement. But you? Your eyes are so full of anger, contempt, resentment, it's almost as if you hate the whole world…"

Do I really look like that? Well to be honest I have been rather sour faced ever since I discovered what a hellhole Inkopolis really was.

Perhaps CQ Cumber is right, the other passengers must have become nervous after seeing me enter armed and with such a hateful expression.

"Do you?" CQ Cumber asked

"Do I what?"

"Do you hate the whole world?"

Why would I hate the whole world? That's a bit extreme isn't it?

I don't have a problem with Octo Valley even if it was full of problems.

But even someone like me has a limit, I can't stand Inkopolis, I can't stand the surface and all those creatures who would sell me out for their own gain.

All those Inklings up there, they were all the same, Macrum, Finty, Taleesa, Bernice…

"No" I replied, jabbing my thumb upwards towards the ceiling. "Not the whole world, just everything on the surface."

"I guess you aren't here for the promised land then."

"Where is that?"

"Inkopolis."

"Never in a million years."

"I see…" Perhaps my answer was still a bit extreme, because CQ Cumber winced and twisted as if he was making a rather conflicted expression despite having no facial features.

"Do you wish the surface never existed?"

"Yes." Without question, nothing good came from that place, if it never existed I would have spent the last two years studying and saving lives.

CQ Cumber had an even more pained expression now, then he shook his head. "If you really do want to erase everything up there, look for the remains of the NILS statue, it belonged to the Kamabo Corporation. They may have gone silent but they do have the technology to make your wish come true…"

What? What is he talking about? What is the NILS statue? What is the Kamabo corporation?

"What do you mean?"

CQ Cumber twitched as he heard that "T-that's all I have to say, anyways this is the end of line A, you may stay and ride through the other stations again, or choose to transfer over to line C. Please check your map and decide."

He's pretending as if that earlier conversation never happened and trying to go back to his main job. Perhaps he had mentioned something dangerous, or maybe something he didn't want to talk about. Though why would he bring it up in the first place?

"Do you have a CQ 80? If so please check the map and choose a destination." CQ Cumber continued

"I don't. As you assumed earlier, I am new here."

"Well in that case you may need it, it is a rather handy device for riding the Deepsea Metro, you can use it to monitor your journey through the deep, chat with other sea creatures and earn CQ Points as you ride."

"I'm not interested in your customer loyalty program, I'm here for only one ride anyways, one ride back to Octo Valley!"

"Hmm… Octo Valley… You are the first Octoling I have met who wanted to go to Octo Valley, the others all wanted Inkopolis…"

"Really? Well how unfortunate for them."

"However I don't think I can take you to Octo Valley, I do not recall any Octo Valley stations."

"What? An Octoling I met said she made it from Octo Valley to Inkopolis from here!"

"Please calm down, there are many stations that have been abandoned since nobody uses them anymore, also there may be other unofficial ways to enter the metro that I am unaware of."

"Fine, do you know where Octo Valley is? If so then drop me off as close as you can"

"Unfortunately no, I have never had anyone request to go to Octo Valley before therefore I have no clue where it may be. Is there anywhere else you would like to go?"

"I don't know, give me some options."

"Hmm… A recent passenger of the metro has already completed all of the tests that each station offered so I really don't have anything for you… Though there have been reports of sanitized still wandering a few stations and I don't want to drop you in the middle of them... I suggest taking the line back to the central station and deciding where to go from there."

I would have questioned what exactly were those 'tests' he mentioned and also what 'sanitized' were, but I figured I shouldn't be distracted "As long as it's not Inkopolis I'm fine with it. Let's go."

CQ Cumber nodded and slid on back to the front of the subway, I sat back and waited as the subway began heading back the way it had come.

There was nothing to see outside, so I sat back and waited, wondering why a seemingly abandoned metro was still operational.

Was CQ Cumber the only one running things down here? Or is someone paying him to keep things running, maybe some of the creatures that lived down here? That aside…

What was the Kamabo corporation he had mentioned? Why did he bring it up so suddenly only to change the subject?

He did bring it up after asking me about the surface…

Is there maybe some kind of corporation out there made up of similarly minded creatures who despise the surface? Do they really have the technology to wipe out Inkopolis? If so why haven't they used it yet?

Maybe they have such technology but don't have any problems with Inkopolis, if they did I doubt Inkopolis would sit aside and let itself be destroyed. Yeah if there really was a group like that, Inkopolis would probably have crushed them long ago.

Well, it's not like I have the time to search for that NILS statue or whatever it was, I doubt CQ Cumber would want to expand on what he said anyways.

I should think about my current situation, instead of fantasizing about an organization that probably doesn't exist.

I've found an active subway network that is not connected to Inkopolis, it is inhabited by creatures I have only seen in books before. I think I can communicate with them, but they might be afraid of me.

"Now arriving at Maverick station." The announcement interrupted my thought process. I watch as the subway doors opened, welcoming in more creatures of the deep.

A few more deep sea jellyfish showed up, I glanced over at them and they turned away and sat as far away from me as possible.

Am I really that frightening?

CQ Cumber said it's because I have such an angry expression, that combined with my many bandaged wounds and ink weapons probably doesn't give a very friendly look.

Great, so even down here Inkopolis still finds a way to screw me over. If I hadn't been constantly distrusted and forced to fight, I could have probably just settled down here but noooo.

Hold on, I'm getting off topic again…

If I'm going to figure out where exactly am I and how to get back to Octo Valley, I should try and make myself look more approachable…

…

Maybe not having my weapons out all the time could be a way to start… but what if Inklings show up?

Perhaps it would be better to just be more friendly towards them…

Uhh… How do I do that?

If I just let my guard down, speak casually again and gradually open up to them, won't that just set me up to be heartbroken again? It's always happened before.

Well, I don't have to open up to anyone to appear less threatening, I could always just try not to think of anything and just walk around with a smile…

I could but I…

' _Cry cry cry!_ _That's what all you Octarians should do. You murderous bastards don't deserve to smile!_ _'_

I don't deserve to smile.

If I go back to being stupidly positive I'll definitely mess something up again.

No, I think I'll stay just the way I am now, it is safer, it's better this way.

As much as I would like to learn more about this metro from it's denizens, I should put my own safety first.

…

It really pains me to think of things from such a perspective. I don't want to go around scaring off anyone who sees me, I don't want to walk around with such a pained expression that it makes CQ Cumber question if I hate the whole world. I don't but maybe I have too?

I don't know.

Urghh! Why am I overthinking this so! When did a simple expression become such a beacon of conflict?

If I hide everything and try to smile again, maybe I'll be able to approach the other subway passengers without scaring them off, but what if one of them happens to be eying Inkopolis as a new place to take residence? CQ Cumber did refer to it as the 'promised land' meaning someone really wanted to go there.

What if it was CQ Cumber himself who wanted to go to Inkopolis? If he did , wouldn't he be interested in the ten billion cash bounty on my head?

I don't really know enough about him, so I have to assume the worst… No that's not right, when did I start having such a twisted view on things?

Being careful doesn't mean distancing yourself or being overly cautious to everyone I meet.

I'll try not to think about Inkopolis, Inklings or all of the times I was treated unfairly just for being an Octarian, I won't suppress those memories, but I'll at least try to keep them out of my head when I'm approaching someone.

That should work, I'm not in Inkopolis now so I don't have to be super defensive all the time.

If I meet any more denizens of the deep, I'll try to speak with them again without scaring them off.

* * *

"Now arriving at central station, leave nothing behind."

The brakes squealed as the subway slowly grind to a halt, I was now apparently in a station location dead center of the entire subway network, or at least I would assume so, as it was called 'central' station…

"Rrrrr"

My stomach had been growling for a while now, I don't think I have eaten anything in quite a bit. I think I'll get off here and have a look around, maybe I can find something useful.

I stepped off the metro with my head on a swivel, checking every angle I possibly could as I slowly stepped away from the subway.

The station looked rather familiar, I think this is where I first boarded the subway.

Well I haven't yet taken the time to investigate the area, so I think I should go and do that now.

My footsteps echoed in the empty hallways as I explored central station. I found the abandoned subway line I had arrived from, there were still only two handcars stopped on the tracks, I guess that means nobody has followed me here from Inkopolis yet…

I went back to try the telephone, but it still didn't work. No surprise there, just making sure…

What else is there?

I left the subway platform, heading upstairs I found some tolls, probably this is where you would have paid for admission if this place was still up and running… I'll just hop over those…

Now what? Everything here is still abandoned, I don't see why it would be different.

Hold on, I think I see store signs… Maybe I can find something to eat in there?

There was a rather large variety of store signs here, but all of them were completely emptied out.

I wonder who built this metro in the first place, was it the Inklings? It could have been Octarians like myself too, or really anyone at this point…

Whoever built it at least had the common sense to use the universal language instead of one specific to a certain creature. Therefore I could read and discover what these empty rooms had previously been used for.

There was a sign for a coffee shop, another for flowers and another for souvenirs.

Some doors were marked as 'staff only' that led into ticket selling booths, electrical systems, or just storage closets.

I did also find a restroom, which was quite the relief.

Aside from that there wasn't anything I could really use, most of the station was sealed off with caution signs and tape, even though I ignored those and went inside to explore, I found that those areas had been completely cleaned out.

Though there was one place that caught my interest… Out of the many 'staff only' marked doors, one of them had light seeping out from under it, it was brighter than the rest of the metro too.

Maybe someone is still working here after all, perhaps a friend of CQ Cumber?

If it's another one of those deepsea creatures, I should really try not to scare them off…

I removed my Dualies and ink tank, packing them into my backpack, then I considered removing some of my bandages for a moment, but that wouldn't be a very good idea.

Now let's forget about Inkopolis and the surface for just a moment…

Come on… Stop thinking about it, forget about all the injustice, all the pain, the prejudice and arrogance of the common Inklings…

This isn't working… it's only making me more mad. Let's try distracting myself then…

What if I thought about the deepsea creatures?

Yes, what if I told the rest of Octo Valley that there was so many creatures living in these abandoned metro tunnels? Maybe I could write a paper about them and their daily habits?

I wonder if I could live amongst them and study how their society works…

Hey I think it's working! Just keep dreaming and i'll be fine.

I kept thinking about all the possible ways I could announce what I had discovered down here to Octo Valley and what I could possibly learn from this underground civilisation…

Because before I got dragged to the surface I was just a normal scholar, I had almost forgotten about it.

It would be so nice to return to a less life threatening environment…

I smiled to myself at the thought of it. Then I decided to open the door.

Inside was a brightly lit room, but before I took note of anything else, my eyes fell upon the sight of a pair of blue tentacles hanging off the side of a couch.

"* _Cough*_ Hmm? Who's-"

I lept back out of that room immediately! Why is there an Inkling here?! Quick! Where are my Dualies?

Just my luck! As soon as I let my guard down another Inkling appears!

I fumbled for my weapons, hastily putting my Dualies and Ink tank on, then I reached for a burst bomb.

I opened the door again and tossed it in.

"Gah!?" came a voice from inside. Then it lowered to a quieter murmur "Wait, that's not the usual ink..." seems like the Inkling survived

Right these stupid ink balloons couldn't splat anyone before! Why did I even bother?

I could hear the Inkling moving around on the other side of the door, footsteps, followed by the sound of a weapon firing then splashing, I guess he must be inking up the place.

Well then, now is time to choose between fight or flight?

I would normally run if I was out numbered, but this was just one Inkling, I think i'll be fine.

Plus, that room looked full of stuff, if I can splat him I can probably find something to eat.

Okay then, it's time for…

' _BLAM!'_

The door swung open and smacked me in the face, as the Inkling burst out.

It didn't hurt, but I was dazed and had clasped my hands over my face on instinct. No stop, my guard was down, I have to focus. I looked up and then noticed the Inkling taking aim at me with a two handed weapon.

"Huh?" Came an unexpected reaction from the Inkling.

With one hand wiping away the fluids coming out of my nose, I raised one Dualie at the Inkling and fired.

The Inkling leapt back in response and fired some blue ink in front of him.

"Who are you?" He asked

As if I'm going to fall for that. "Don't play dumb with me!" I reached for my second Dualie and fired both at the Inkling, who retreated further back.

"Hey hey hey! You really want to do this here? This isn't Inkopolis you know!"

"So what?"

"So no respawning! What else?! Why are you even attacking me in the first place?"

He's busy talking! Alright time to splat him!

I once again shot at the Inkling, however he was rather quick on his feet and he slipped into his ink in squid form to avoid being hit.

"Would you stop tha-"

I fired at him again, normally I would have ran by now, but I haven't eaten in a while. Besides I already know better than to listen to an Inkling.

"I'm serious!" The Inkling, then paused to dodge another volley of ink that I sent his way. "If you are splatted-" He tossed an ink bomb in one direction while dodging in the other, probably to keep making space to hide. "Then that's it for you!" He finally was able to finish speaking, but I didn't care, if it's an Inkling then they are going to find some way to backstab me, I know it.

Finally fed up with being shot at, the Inkling shot at me, he actually shot at me!

I got a face full of blue ink, it didn't hurt as I would have expected it to, but it still blinded me for a bit as I struggled to wipe my face clean.

I rubbed and squeezed till finally all that blue stuff was out of my eyes, now where was that Inkling?

There was alot of blue ink around me, but no Inkling…

"Calmed down yet?"

I immediately turned to the source of that voice and pointed both Dualies…. At the closed door.

Oh I see, the Inkling took to hiding from me.

"I don't know why you're here, so how about you stop shooting at me and explain some things."

"I could say the same to you!"

"* _Cough*_ Me?! You shot first!"

"Of course I did, you're an Inkling." There is no reason for me to let my guard down, especially around an Inkling. So what if neither of us can respawn? I was never able to in the first place.

"What's with that logic? No wait, I'm serious, you know nobody can respawn down here right?"

"So what?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Of course not." I'm not about to make the same mistakes as before, I've trusted Macrum to keep his word, Mother Superior to treat me equally and Finty to keep me safe, of course it never worked out.

_'Rrrrrr'_ My stomach is still growling, so I tried to force open the door again. But to no avail since it opens outwards and I don't have the physical strength to forcefully pull it open.

"Oh come on! I'm telling the truth! Sure there are respawn points scattered around, but since nobody is conducting tests anymore, they have all been shut down! Can you please put down your Dualies so we can talk?" The Inkling offered.

What good would that do? It sounds like this Inkling doesn't know about the bounty on me, but he could just be lying and trying to get my guard down.

"You first then!" I'm not about to disarm myself around an Inkling.

"... Okay…" Came a reply, and the door opened slightly, it was just enough for an Ink tank, weapon and several bombs to be thrown out.

I leapt back in case the bombs were primed and ready to go off in my face, but they didn't.

"There, that's everything, will you listen to me now?* _Cough*_ " came the Inkling's voice from behind the door.

Hold on, did this Inkling really just throw out all his weapons? I bet he has more, yeah as soon as I walk in there he's gonna pull a fast one on me isn't he?

If he's expecting me to do the same and toss out my Dualies he's gonna be very disappointed.

I tried the door, it seemed like the Inkling wasn't holding it back anymore, so I threw it open and rushed in and pointed my Dualies at the Inkling.

"Easy easy easy!" He shouted as he waved his hands in front of him.

I didn't see a second ink tank anywhere, nor any weapons nearby. Did he really throw out all his weapons so readily? Does that mean he's telling the truth about no respawning? Not that it mattered to me.

I glared at this Inkling, he had to be plotting something… Just looking at him rings an alarm.

This Inkling had blue tentacles and blue eyes, along with horns and a forked tongue…

I'm sure I made that last part up… But you get the point, nothing about him is trustworthy, besides I'm not quite sure about their eyes, but I recall very clearly that Macrum and Finty both had blue tentacles just like this one.

Out of all the Inklings who wronged me, those two were the worst.

To me, blue was a colour that screamed malice and pain.

As for the rest of this Inkling's features, he looked to be more around Finty's age as he was nowhere near as old as Macrum.

If he's anything like Finty, he'll probably pretend to be supportive and helpful while planning something behind my back.

I won't let that happen again.

"Hmph." I holstered my Dualies.

"What's with the 'hmph'? Were you not expecting an Inkling down here?" The Inkling seemed rather relaxed about this whole thing now that I wasn't holding my Dualies.

"Of course not! Why would you be here in the first place? Shouldn't you be in Inkopolis?"

"Inkopolis? *cough* Well I've been there… well nearly my whole life so I figured I'd take a trip down here."

Really… So someone would just risk their life for amusement? Either this Inkling is very stupid or he is not telling the truth.

"What about you? Trying to reach the promised land?"

There's that mention of the promised land again, what is with that nickname for Inkopolis? "The promised land is Inkopolis isn't it?"I asked and the Inkling nodded in reply. My answer was simple "No way."

"Whaaat? How could you turn down Inkopolis? Have you ever even gone there before?"

Who does this guy think I am? Of course I did! I wouldn't hate it so much if I hadn't!

"Oh I have! I've been to Inkopolis alright, I've seen the morally corrupt hellhole filled with self obsessed creatures devoid of empathy."

"...Are we really talking about the same Inkopolis?"

"Tch! What, there's another?"

The Inkling let out a chuckle, as if I was joking, but i'm dead serious, the only way he would think otherwise is if he was blissfully ignorant or a blind nationalist, he did mention he was from Inkopolis after all.

"Do you think I'm joking? Oh please. If I had believed the Octarian army I wouldn't have ended up like this."

I wanted him to take a good look at me and still pretend that I'm joking, I'm skinny from being malnourished over the last two years and covered in bandages from my recent escape from Inkopolis.

However at the mention of the army, I noticed the Inkling avert his gaze towards his weapons, which lay on the ground outside.

"Ah!" I quickly pulled out my Dualies when I noticed him heading out to get them.

"Okay okay! I guess I'll leave it there for now. Sheesh..."

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" I asked. Though I don't expect a truthful answer, I bet he'll mix in some truth but tell me something I'd want to hear. I'll listen, but I won't trust him, never will.

"Right, uhhh... I guess I should introduce myself." It looked like he was thinking rather hard for a simple introduction. He has to be coming up with a lie, I know it.

"*Cough* ahem.. I'm Inkay and I'm a uhhh…. A survivalist or explorer of the deep sea I guess?"

"An 'explorer'? Seriously…." No part of him looked like an explorer, rather he looked alot like those weirdly dressed Inkling I saw back on the surface.

"Well… I don't know what else to call it. I'm here because there are so many creatures down here that you probably never even knew existed. It's all very uhh... interesting, I figured I could spend more time down here so I turned this place into a hideout of sorts. It's all pretty interesting, besides Inkopolis isn't going… What with that face?"

What face? Oh wait I think I know. At the mention of Inkopolis I felt something flare up inside me, I really hate that city, so I guess the very mention of its name was enough to make me scowl.

And the way he spoke about Inkopolis suggests he is from there…

"How many Inklings are here with you?" I doubt he would come down here alone if it meant no respawning.

"Nobody else, it's just me. Everyone I know should still be in Inkopolis… By the way, you said you've been to Inkopolis before but it sounded nothing like the Inkopolis I knew… Did something happen up in Inkopolis?"

Tch, I swear this guy is saying 'Inkopolis' on purpose now, maybe I should just shoot him despite there being no respawns down here…

Nah, not yet, from what it sounds like this guy hasn't been up on the surface for a while now. Though I still doubt his whole story about exploring the deep.

Also he said his name was Inkay? What kind of name is that? Well I guess Macrum, Finty and Taleesa are all strange names. By know I should know that Inklings have a strange naming sense compared to Octolings… I mean seriously, compare those names to the Octolings I knew like…

Pete…

Jake…

Alexsandra…

…

I haven't thought about them in a long time…

Who were they again?

Pete was… an acquaintance from Octo Valley, I would say friend but with Octo Valley's life expectancy it's highly discourage to be making friends.

Jake was… someone who had suffered in Macrum's villa for much much longer than I have. Though he was incredibly sick the last time I saw him… I wonder if he is okay.

And Alex is-

"Hey don't just space out on me! Helloooo!" The Inkling waved his hands in front of me ruining my train of thought.

I glared at him.

"Well?" He asked "Your turn."

"What?"

"Come on, don't just leave me hanging, introduce yourself."

Since when did this become a casual conversation? I was just trying to splat this guy moments ago…

"My name is Nathalie…"

"And?"

"That's all you need to know."

"Aww come on. Don't leave me guessing, if you aren't here to reach Inkopolis then why are you here?"

"That's none of your business..."

"Really? Then how about explaining why your first reaction to seeing me was to attack me. I'd say that's very much my business is it not?"

Point taken…

"I don't trust Inklings, that being said, I don't see a reason to stay any longer..."

I'm not just jumping to conclusions either, I have my reasons to believe that this Inkling hasn't been truthful from the start.

Take this so-called 'hideout' for example. I don't know what purpose this room previously served, but he's got a rather large freezer and what appears to be a folding couch here. Both should be rather large and heavy, so I doubt he could have brought those in by himself.

Sure there is always the possibility that somebody just helped him set up then left, possibly someone who isn't an Inkling, but I'm not taking any chances.

In the first place, it's strange that there would be any Inkling down here to begin with, let alone one who is staying by himself.

"What's not to trust? You can't just make assumptions based on first glance you know."

"You think I don't know that!? Why do you think I ended up like this?!"

I mean come on! Look at me, I'm pretty much covered from head to toe in bandages, I've become skinny and out of shape and I'm always on edge wherever I go! What else could have done this to me other than Inkopolis?

"Okay…. Well… How about this, look around. Do you see anything that seems suspicious to you?"

"Yes."

"Wow okay, what a quick reply."

"No duh, first off, the entrance to this place was closed up on the surface, so it's not right for any Inkling to be down here, second of all, you said you were down here alone, yet most of the stuff I see here would have required help setting up."

"Is that all? * _cough*_ Well you are right about the first part, the Deepsea Metro is closed off from Inkopolis, as for the second, the denizens of the deep helped me set up. Anything else?"

"Why did you hesitate so long before introducing yourself? And what is with the constant cough, like you are trying to buy time."

"You really are grasping at straws aren't you? I just haven't been feeling so fresh lately, that's why I was laying around before you burst in."

'Oh? Is that so?" Well I guess that could explain the cough, but just to be safe, lets have him explain a bit more. "Then please tell me what else you have been experiencing aside from a cough."

"What is this? a test? My throat just feels a little sore and I've got a bit of a headache, that's all."

Well in that case…

I rapidly put my hand on the Inkling's forehead, if he is telling the truth than his temperature should be just a bit higher than normal.

"What are you doing?"

…

No good, I still can't feel anything,

"Are you cold?" I asked,

"A bit, yeah."

He answered that one quick enough, maybe he is telling the truth… If that's the case then…

I walked away from the Inkling and towards what appeared to be a kitchen area, it had several coolers, a rather large freezer and some old cupboards there, all next to a single portable stove a rather old looking sink, and a small chopping board.

The Inkling didn't make any attempts to stop me so I began to search through his stuff.

I opened a cooler and…

"Are you really an explorer?"

"Yes, of course! You still don't believe me?"

Of course not! And I just found more proof of it!

This Inkling, you'd expect someone who is exploring a place far from home to bring non perishable foods, yet this Inkling has a cooler filled with fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, black fungus and other vegetables.

I moved on to a cupboard and instead of finding canned foods I found more fresh produce though at least there was some stuff like honey, dried seaweed and salt which probably won't go bad...

Either this Inkling lacks even the most basic survival knowledge, or he is lying to me and he just recently arrived from Inkopolis, I'm guessing it's the latter.

Finally I checked the freezer.

"Do you seriously expect me to believe you're some sort of explorer?"

"Well _*cough*_ You could also call me an adventurer or something."

"That's not the point. Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying."

"Really? Well then explain why you have so much fresh groceries here."

"What, do you expect me to just live off the land? There is nothing growing down here."

"That's just the point! Normally you'd bring non perishable foods to these sorts of places. Yet here you have stuff that will probably go bad in two weeks."

"You know Inkopolis is just a day away right."

It is? I had lost track of time as soon as I ran into the metro, and that is despite Octarians having a very good innate sense of time thanks to living underground for so long.

Guess I'll add that to my list of numbing senses.

But if Inkopolis is just a day away, I think maybe I should try getting away from here…

Now where was I?

" _Cough"_

Right…

"Tch! If you have a cold, go lie down again and stay away from me!"

I went through all of this Inkling's supplies and picked out a ginger root, which I proceeded to peel and chop up.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Be quiet, I'm just making some tea for myself so that I won't catch whatever you have, you might as well drink some too once i'm done."

Then I moved on to fill a pot with water from the sink and placed it on the portable stove.

It was an alcohol powered stove, it should be the best choice for use in such a poorly ventilated area like this.

"Well at least you bought the right stove..."

"There's a wrong one?"

"If you like breathing, then yes."

Then again, if he had been using a propane stove here he'd probably be dead by now.

I waited for the water to boil, then added the mashed ginger root.

A ginger tea like this isn't as effective as actual medication, but it should be able to boost the functions of an Octarian immune system, maybe it will work for an Inkling too.

…

Wait, what am I doing? This Inkling could be faking a cold for all I know, plus it's not even that serious...

I looked down at the boiling ginger.

Right! I'm not doing this for the Inkling, rather I just haven't had anything to eat or drink for quite some time, so I figured I'd take whatever I can get without drawing too much attention.

Besides, I'll take whatever chance I get to put my knowledge to use, at least I can get some sort of satisfaction from that.

I waited a few minutes, during which the Inkling continued to cough or try to speak with me, but I didn't have much to say to him.

Finally I poured two cups of the ginger tea I had made.

"Here." I said, hand one to the Inkling.

I watched him carefully take a sip and…

"Ahhh what is this? Why is it so strong?"

Huh is it?

I drank my own but didn't taste anything out of the ordinary, wait I can't really taste anymore to begin with.

"How can you just gulp it all down so easily?"

It seemed as if the Inkling was having trouble, hold on, maybe I was supposed to remove the pieces of ginger from the tea? I forget…

"If it's that bad then go add honey or something, that should be good for your throat."

The Inkling paused for a while, then did exactly as I suggested… Though I kept an eye on him, in case he was actually going to dig out a weapon from somewhere…

No it seemed like he was just adding honey to his tea.

…

"I shouldn't have to say this, but get some rest. You should be feeling better after a day or two, if not then go see a doctor. Or stay here and die, I don't care."

Oooo, no need to be so harsh."

"On a side note, if Inkopolis is really just a day away, I guess you don't need to ration food, but for crying out loud, at least keep some sort of first aid here, like aspirin and antibiotics..."

"I just caught a cold, it's not like I'll get super sick or something."

"You really think that? Then can you tell me what kind of illnesses are most common down here, what their symptoms are and how they can be prevented?"

"Uhh.. no, but can you?"

"No and that is exactly the point. You don't know what lies down here so it would be smarter for you to keep some medicinal items on hand just in case."

I'd know, I saw a fellow kidnapped Octoling get extremely sick back in Macrum's villa… No Let's try not to think about that.

I don't want to help this Inkling out, I just wanted to at least get something for my troubles, I figure something to drink would be enough for now, plus I'll take any chance I get to practice for when I eventually return to Octo Valley as a medical worker.

"Geez and here I thought I just had to worry about being splatted…." The Inkling commented

"Is that why you were armed? Don't be such a musclehead, though I guess with your figure you can't fall under that description…"

"Hey I'm no worse than the average turf player, you on the other hand, could use some work."

"Tch, did you forget how I ended up like this?! It's all because of you Inklings and- ahh forget it!"

The Inkling stared at me rather confused.

Hmph, if it's true that this Inkling doesn't know what happened in Inkopolis, then it's best to leave and get away from him while he is still clueless and before anything bad happens.

I quickly finished my tea and stood up to leave, only for the Inkling to call out to me again.

"Wait, that's it? You're leaving already?"

"I've been here long enough already, besides I don't trust Inklings."

"And here I thought we were starting to get along…"

Sarcasm again? "Don't misunderstand, I didn't come here to treat you."

"Of course not, then was it maybe for food?"

I stopped, he wasn't wrong, I was hungry when I wandered into this room and I still am, but after seeing an Inkling I sort of stopped paying attention to my stomach.

"Was it that obvious?"

"Kinda hard to miss, your stomach's been roaring the whole time. Come on, stay a bit, it's almost time for lunch and you won't get much company down here anyways."

…

I don't think I'm in a position to turn him down.

Hold on, did he say lunch? It was late in the afternoon when I entered the metro, that means it has been more than a day since I last ate anything, not to mention I had been running alot, no wonder I'm so hungry right now…

"... Fine…" Reluctantly I shut the door and sat back down next to the Inkling.

That Inkling's weapon is still lying on the floor outside, so unless he has another one hidden somewhere in this hideout of his, I should be okay.

"Alright then, just wait here, I'll go put something together."

I watched as the Inkling started to make a stir fry out of various chopped veggies, I guess he's taking what I said to heart and using up all the non-preservable stuff first.

Bell peppers, onions, bean sprouts and mushrooms sizzled, giving off an aroma I could still barely make out despite my deadened senses.

Though it still bothers me that there is an Inkling presence here… Perhaps he is planning something? Like maybe stalling for time?

I did doubt that he was here alone, if someone else is here with him, they will definitely become suspicious if they see his weapons lying on the ground outside this hideout…

With the sounds of searing food in the background, I quietly retrieved the Inkling's weapons and brought them indoors.

What now?

If someone else returned, they would probably try to enter this room right? I mean you could hear and smell something coming from inside so you'd definitely check to see what's going on…

Let's lock the door, just to be safe…

' _Click'_

Now everything should be fine right?

Right?

No, I can't think that! I can't just let my guard down.

I may be hungry, but that is no reason to leave myself exposed.

"There we go! It's done!" Exclaimed the Inkling, before coughing into his sleeve.

He made a rather simple stir fry of noodles and various vegetables.

"Here you go." The Inkling handed me a plateful of food.

…

This feels incredibly suspicious, I don't think an Inkling would just casually hand out food to someone they don't even know…

Unless maybe he does know me from somewhere… Just because he hasn't been to Inkopolis lately doesn't mean he's completely out of touch with everyone there… That must be it! I bet he knows about me and my bounty! That's why he was so hesitant to fight me! I have to be brought in alive right? I bet he spiked this food with something! Well I'm not falling for it!

"Hey, take a bite out of this!" I demanded, pointing at my plate of food.

The Inkling looked rather stumped "Is there something wrong with it?"

"You tell me, you're the one who made it… Or are you maybe afraid because you put something bad in it?"

"Why would I do that? Alright sure." The Inkling took a good fork full of food and ate it without hesitation. "Eere, appy ow?" He said with a stuffed mouth.

I stared at him, there was no reaction aside from him asking why I was staring so hard.

Perhaps I was wrong? Or maybe…

"Take another bite, this time out of the center."

"Again? I'm not trying to poison you, jeez…"

"If that's true then you'll have no problem doing what I said!" I think I figured him out, he'll probably fight back, so I reached for my Dualies.

"Okay okay…" The Inkling said and ate another mouthful of food, from the center of my plate.

Once again I observed him closely and saw no negative reaction to the food…

Odd, could it really be that there is nothing wrong with the food?

Or maybe is there some kind of drug that only affects Octolings mixed in here?

I reluctantly nibbled at my food…

Nope I still can barely taste anything, now is the time I wish I could because then I could probably taste something mixed in here that shouldn't be. I'd probably be able to identify it too since I had learned so much about medicine and chemistry before…

Sadly I can't do any of that…

Should I just eat and hope for the best? Or play is safe and just leave?

…

I am hungry, but what if hunger ends up being my downfall here?

Sure this Inkling didn't seem to have any ulterior movies yet and just seems like a nice guy, but I know from experience that it's not good to trust nice guys…

But I have gone quite a while without proper food…

…

In the end I chose to eat and leave quickly.

I may not be able to properly enjoy the food, but it was still satisfying to finally fill my belly with something.

Besides I don't ever recall hearing of any sort of poison or drug that only affects Octarians.

I think I should be safe.

Although I was still uneasy and didn't say a single word to the Inkling.

That was until I finished my food, when he started to make a strange expression.

He brought his hand up and rubbed his throat.

"Urf" Making an odd noise, the Inkling collapsed face first.

Oh no, was there actually something wrong with this food?

Maybe it was something slow acting! What's going to happen to me?

I rushed to my feet, I had best get out of here as far as possible before-

"Hahaha! Just kidding!"

I want to punch this guy…

"Did you really think I'd poison you? Pfft!"

I ended up punching him.

Don't you dare joke about the situation I'm in.

"Hmph, well you've had your fun. I'm leaving now and don't you try to follow me."

"Alright alright, you don't like me very much I get it."

"Exactly."

Finally, I've wasted enough time here. Time to get moving again.

…

"Here, if things get worse take one of these and go home." I tossed him the fever relief I had been carrying along for days now. I had bought it to help Jake back then but since I couldn't return to him in time I had no use for it.

Keeping it with me will only bring back unpleasant memories, might as well get rid of it here.

"Uhh, thanks?" The Inkling seemed slightly confused, oh well, it's not my problem, i'm out of here.

I'll go explore the rest of this station and see if I can find any clues on how to return to Octo Valley, if I really can't do that then I'll go back to the subway and try to speak with those deep sea creatures again.

I'm bound to find someone who knows Octo Valley at some point, whoever that may be I hope to find them soon.

I continued back into the dark tunnels of the Deepsea Metro, hoping that I wouldn't find another Inkling anytime soon. Of course since I found that self proclaimed explorer, I doubt that I'm completely safe from Inkopolis here…

I don't know which station exactly is closest to Octo Valley but if that Inkling was telling the truth and Inkopolis is only about a day away from this station then I need to leave now.

Time to retrace my steps, where's that subway? Where is that conductor?

I ran back to the subway platform and waited, if this train doesn't arrive quickly I'll just run on my own.

Luckily, it arrived in a matter of minutes, I wasted no time on getting aboard.

This time the subway was only carrying deep sea jellyfish in it's passenger cars, though it was of no concern to me, I went straight to the front to look for CQ Cumber.

"Back so soon? Hmm you appear to be in a hurry, have you decided on a new destination?"

"No, but I want to get as far away from this station as possible."

"Well… We are currently headed westbound on line A, so Bumpin' 8-Ball station would be the furthest from here."

"Perfect, that will do. Thanks alot."

I quickly returned to the passenger cars, waiting anxiously for the subway to get moving.

The sooner I get away from here the better.

* * *

"Arriving at Bumpin' 8-Ball station, please check your belongings and leave nothing behind."

Hearing that, I looked up and out the subway windows, I had finally arrived.

I had been rather nervous, expecting more Inklings to show up at the other stations along the way, but luckily there weren't any, only deep sea jellyfish here.

Well, they had a good reason to avoid coming down here, they had probably gotten so used to respawning that the idea of a permanent death is too much for them to handle. If that is true then… Well that would be ridiculous, being so scared of something so natural…

The subway came to a stop and the doors opened just as I finished replacing my bandages, I packed everything back up, grabbed my backpack and left, along with most of the other passengers.

However, the other passengers all immediately turned away to transfer to another subway line.

That was rather odd…

There was a toll and a strange circle on the ground at this station, but I couldn't make out much of what was beyond that.

Well then, I might as well take a look…

"Hup"

I hopped over the closed toll and continued forward, though the first thing I noticed was a rather large drop from the platform I'm currently on…

I peeked down, but it was such a huge drop that I could not see the bottom…

And what was on the other side of this drop? Well it was rather odd, but I think It's a ramp made out of air cushions or sponges or something…

What strange construction… Though whatever does look rather comfortable…

No, there is no need for rest at the moment, I'll ignore that and keep going.

Though there was only one other path to take, that was to the right…

…

I barely walked ten steps before I found another one of those bouncy looking cushions on the ground, and right before a random slab of wall too…

What sort of station was this?

Is there any way around this? Or am I supposed to scale this wall somehow?

Trying to get a closer look, I stepped forward only for my feet to sink a bit into the ground, nearly losing my balance.

This is dangerous, why is there such a springy surface above such a huge drop? Some parts of the floor seem to be made of sponges, I wonder who decided to build with such a soft material.

I wanted to run deeper into the station in case Inklings showed up, but this is… well it's just weird.

What other strange things could be lying in wait for me here? I wondered as I slowly stepped out of the sponges and onto the cushion before the wall.

With a powerful leap I managed to clear the wall.

Hmm?

There is ink here, a rather eerie shade of teal too…

But most importantly it is fresh… if it wasn't it would have long faded away…

Someone else has been here recently, some other cephalopod… Maybe Inklings?

I have no idea, this place seems rather empty and abandoned just like everywhere else in this metro network… and the construction here does not resemble Inkopolis nor Octo Valley…

Who else could be living down here, who would be leaving trails of ink everywhere they go? And are they friendly towards Octarians or not?

Well, time to put the Dualies to use again… I've been using them alot recently so I should have expected this…

I continued on, bouncing off another air cushion and crossing more spongey ground, until I heard a noise.

There was more of that odd teal ink here, and in the middle of it, was it's source…

An Octarian! I'm saved! He's not an Octoling like me, but rather a single tentacled type that are usually seen on hovercrafts in the army as Octotroopers. I doubt this one is part of the army though, as despite standing on a hovercraft, he coloured differently from the army, he is blue and teal.

Blue...

No forget that! He is Octarian! He must have come from Octo Valley!

"Hello!" I called out "over he….errr…."

I stopped when the Octotrooper turned around and locked eyes with me.

His eyes were pitch black, with glowing teal pupils, I don't think that is normal. Those eyes squinted upon seeing me and he started to close the distance.

No wait, let's not jump to any conclusions, perhaps there is some sort of deep sea Octarian civilization here?

"Uhh hello? Are you from the valley?" I asked but the Octotrooper ignored me, in fact he stopped and shot ink at me!

"Eek!"

I managed to step back just in time and the ink landed right in front of me.

"What are you doing?! I'm talking to you! Hellooo!?"

The Octotrooper didn't seem to even acknowledge my voice, instead he shot at me again.

"Do you not understand me? Stop!" I shouted to no avail as the Octotrooper finally managed to score a hit.

I could see the ink reacting violently with my body… This is the real deal, this guy is actually trying to splat me… but why?

No time for questions, if I have to fight then I'll do it!

I ran to the side, firing my Dualies and trying to avoid another shot of ink.

I was successful in dodging at least, but I completely missed my target.

Switching into Octopus form, I regained a bit of ink before trying again, but the trooper shot at me and I had to focus more on dodging than aiming and my aim was pretty bad to begin with, so while I didn't miss every shot, I didnt splat the Octotrooper…

I can't believe I'm having this much trouble with just a single tentacled Octarian, when I've splatted so many Inklings in Inkopolis. Well those Inklings didn't really try to kill me so it was alot easier. It should have been obvious to me, but I only just realized that fighting is alot harder when your opponent actually shoots back at you…

I tried again, this time ignoring the shots the Octotrooper fired.

I hit him a few times, but I also got hit… twice…

No, I cant die in a place like this! Not before I return to Octo Valley.

I turned and ran, I'll try again once I've recovered.

But even then I don't know how things might go...

Ahhh screw it! If I can't aim to save my life, I'll just get in real close and punch the guy.

I sprayed more ink at the Octotrooper, even though I was out of range, then as he approached me, I changed to my Octopus form, swam under his hovercraft, popped up behind him and knocked him right off.

There! That's done it! Now to find out why he attacked me.

The Octotrooper was lying on his back, his little feet kicking wildly at the air trying to get himself back up.

I push him back down with one arm and held him there.

"Quit squirming already! Talk! Why did you attack me? Are you working for Inklin- hey stop that! Get off!"

The Octotrooper suddenly bit my arm! I still could barely feel it but still, I wanted him off!

I frantically tried to shake him off, nearly falling off the ledge in the process.

Just what was this guy's deal?

"Let go already!" I tried to pull him off with my free hand, but he wouldn't budge… What is he? Some sort of wild animal?

Tch, okay now that it's come to this.

With my free hand I pressed one Dualie against the Octotrooper and fired at point blank range, the Octotrooper was then replaced by a massive burst of ink in my colour…

… That was… strange.

Why did that Octotrooper attack me like that? I just wanted to talk. Also what was with his eyes, also his skin, heck everything about him!

Blue tentacles, just like Macrum, Finty and that other Inkling, along with a bright teal skin that looked rather unnatural, who attacked you on sight…

I think there may have been a rumor of such Octarians back in the Valley… something about zombies of the deep… Actually didn't CQ Cumber say something about 'sanitized' wandering around? Could this be what he was talking about?

I have a bad feeling about this, but let's keep advancing forward just in case…

After all, I'll have to find a suitable place to rest soon enough, also possibly something to eat…

At the mention of eating, I thought back to that hideout of that so-called explorer of the deep, where I had my last meal… There was more than enough food there but the Inkling...

No, I'm not going back there, sure that Inkling didn't cause me any harm, but given enough time he would have. I really should know this by now.

I can't trust Inklings and after seeing that Octotrooper I should be weary of everyone else too.

Even those who are just doing their job at the moment, they may always turn on me once they find out what happened in Inkopolis, that means I can't be too trusting towards CQ Cumber either...

Yes that's right, for someone like me it's much safer to venture on…

...Alone.


	13. Interlude 6: CQ Cumber and Inkay

Despite the sudden disappearance of the Kamabo Corporation, the subway trains of the Deepsea Metro puffed on, transporting all sorts of creatures from anywhere around the deep.

By now the denizens who rode the metro were already familiar with one another, so normally the passenger cars were rather lively as it was today. Until a new passenger approached.

Nathalie, now always always on edge and nervous, curiously and cautiously stepped aboard with her weapons drawn in case she was attacked. She pointed her Dualies both ways as she looked for any Inklings or possible enemies. This did not leave a good impression on the other passengers.

' _Who is that?'_ Some wondered, others thought along the lines of ' _Are we being robbed?'_

"What are you looking at?!" Nathalie snapped, frightening a good portion of the passengers.

The Sponge tree hugged her purse nervously and tightly, looking away from Nathalie, the large Sea Angel averted his gaze from Nathalie to only to try and observe her via her reflection in the windows, as for the Jellyfish, their collective minds prepared a dispersal pattern to maximize their chances of survival.

However their fear was not needed as Nathalie simply holstered her Dualies and took a seat, prompting more curious glances from the passengers.

They could tell she was an Octoling, there had been Octolings here before, but they had not seen one like her…

Most of her body was covered in bandages and she wore a rather dangerous looking expression on her face. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes constantly darted about, anyone who saw this face would know to steer clear of this Octoling. This combination gave the impression of someone who would quickly start a fight if you made even one wrong move, someone like that should usually be avoided.

So that is exactly what the passengers did.

"Ding* Welcome aboard. All passengers with CQ-80 devices can press X on said devices to display the Deepsea Metro map… Leave nothing behind." As the subway began to move again, nobody said a word, they were all too nervous to speak to this dangerous looking Octoling.

The lively atmosphere had been shattered by Nathalie's presence and was now replaced by a very uneasy one.

Therefore when the subway finally reached the end of line A, all the passengers hurried out without a second thought.

That was enough to pique the conductor's interest. Besides he couldn't have someone scaring off all his passengers.

Therefore CQ Cumber, a creature dedicated to his job, left to have a word with the Octoling.

"Since I don't recognise your face, you must be new here." He said, though Nathalie wasn't paying much attention and didn't realize where he was. Her gaze went right over the small conductor and she was left wondering just who was talking to her.

Mildly annoyed by this CQ Cumber sprouted six legs, though it still didn't bring him to eye level with Nathalie.

"AHEM"

"Gahh!" CQ Cumber's spider-like form gave Nathalie quite a fright when she finally looked down and noticed just how close he was standing.

"What are you?! No wait, let me think… a Sea Cucumber?"

Now that she had notice him, there was no need to continue assuming such a form

"Correct, I am CQ Cumber the one and only conductor of this metro." He said, retracting his legs "I understand you are new here, but please refrain from causing a disturbance or making the other passengers feel uncomfortable."

"Excuse me? Did I do something wrong?" As soon as Nathalie entered the metro everyone had gone quiet, so she just assumed that the awkward and quiet atmosphere was normal.

"You tell me, everything was livelier until I stopped at central station. After that there was only an awkward silence."

"Hmph, well whatever happened I know nothing about it."

Although her attitude left something to be desired, Nathalie didn't seem to be lying, it wasn't too hard to believe either, maybe she thought everything she had seen was normal.

Though there was another possibility…

CQ Cumber noticed just how unfriendly Nathalie looked. An Ink tank on her back, Dualies holstered on her waist, many parts of her body had to be bandaged and her arms were almost always crossed. Her face seemed frozen in a rather angry and sour expression and her eyes… beady looked eyes that seemed to be continuously shooting daggers everywhere she went.

She was completely different from the other Octarians CQ Cumber had met.

Describing her as 'very unfriendly looking' was definitely an understatement.

"I see… Perhaps they were nervous."

"What? Never seen an Octarian here before?"

"Unfortunately I have seen many Octarians here, in fact there have been 10,008 Octarians who have previously rode this metro."

"If there's been that many, why would anyone be nervous? And what did you mean by 'unfortunately?" Nathalie didn't realize how much she had changed, nor how unapproachable she looked now.

"... Your eyes, that would be a start."

"What about em?"

"The previous Octarians I have seen here, either had eyes full of curiosity or brimming excitement. But you? Your eyes are full of anger, contempt, resentment, as if you hate the whole world…"

Hating the whole world, that sounded familiar… it could mean hating what it had developed into.

That matched the criteria for an order CQ Cumber once received from his employer; should he find anyone who might share the views as the Kamabo corporation…

It was meant to be a backup, in case Kamabo ever vanished, since CQ Cumber was so devoted to his job, he could be trusted to carry it out…

"Do you?" CQ Cumber asked

"Do I what?"

"Do you hate the whole world?"

"No" Nathalie replied "Not the whole world, just everything on the surface." There was no hesitation in her response, she was that certain.

But just in case, CQ Cumber asked one more question "I guess you aren't here for the promised land then."

"Where is that?"

"Inkopolis."

"Never in a million years."

"I see…"

' _Everything on the surface, surely that included the Inklings and Octolings that the Kamabo Corporation tried to exterminate, though this one was an Octoling herself…'_ It was an assumption that was only half right, but CQ Cumber had no way knowing that.

Though someone like her might match Kamabo's criteria, someone who could possibly be motivated to continue in their stead.

"Do you wish the surface never existed?"

"Yes." Nathalie had gone through such a long series of painful and unfortunate events that she no longer saw any hope for the surface world. The Nathalie who was excited to see the sky for the first time two years ago and who thought to turn her kidnapping into a learning experience now looked down on those thoughts.

She had changed for the worse, with a little guidance, someone like her can definitely continue from where Tartar left off…

But what Tartar had been doing was not something praiseworthy, CQ Cumber was well aware of this, he was informed by Agent 8 and he had other connections as well. However...

CQ Cumber had never told this to anyone, but he wasn't just here to conduct tests and run the metro, Kamabo had another directive for him. That was that on the off chance that something happened and Tartar was defeated, he should find a suitable replacement to continue what had been started.

' _That's right, I have a job to do…'_

"If you really do want to erase everything up there, look for the remains of the NILS statue, it belonged to the Kamabo Corporation." CQ Cumber told Nathalie.

It wouldn't be hard to track down the rest of Kamabo from there, as long as one could get by the locals investigating the ruined statue.

He could notice Nathalie reacting, perhaps she was intrigued.

' _This one really is different compared to the others…'_ CQ Cumber thought, he could still recall the faces of the previous Octolings he saw. Although they were just test subjects and he knew that they likely wouldn't last long, of course he never told any of them, that wasn't part of his job. Despite that all the other Octolings looked slightly nervous yet they endured and pushed on in hopes of reaching the promised land.

One of them even succeeded far beyond anyone's expectations. Not only did she survive the blender, take down Tartar with the help of some friends and escape the metro, but she then came back and aced every last test there was.

Of course she couldn't do it all in one try, but with grit and determination, she kept pushing on no matter how many times CQ Cumber detonated her for letting an eight ball fall.

' _Subject 10008.. No, Agent 8, she was quite impressive…'_ Even after passing with flying colours, Agent 8 never let it get to her head and remained a humble and friendly hero. Someone like that commanded respect and CQ Cumber was glad to give it to her, yet she remained humble despite her successes. Someone like that was now living happily somewhere on the surface, getting some well deserved rest...

"They may have gone silent but they do have the technology to make your wish come true…" CQ Cumber continued.

' _No wait, if this Octoling really wants to erase the surface, wouldn't Eight get caught up in it?'_

He still remembered the last time he saw Eight, she was so happy to have cleared the metro and even offered CQ Cumber to leave for Inkopolis with her. When he declined she instead took a selfie with him and that innocent smile she always had, then she promised to come back and visit sometime.

' _That's none of my concern, I have a contract to obey, procedures to follow… Do I really?'_

CQ Cumber never agreed with Tartar's views, but he was dedicated to his job so he wouldn't ever question or get in the way of any of his employers.

But his employer was gone now…

"What do you mean?" Nathalie asked, she wasn't sure what CQ Cumber was talking about but she was slightly intrigued.

CQ Cumber flinched, but he quickly collected himself and avoided the question "T-that's all I have to say, anyways this is the end of line A, you may stay and ride through the other stations again, or choose to transfer over to line C. Please check your map and decide." He looked away.

He didn't want to keep talking, someone like Nathalie could become rather dangerous if guided a certain way and he wasn't going to be the one who does that.

' _Technically my job is to just run the metro and conduct tests, this side objective isn't part of that, plus I've already told her about Kamabo, that should be enough.'_ Justifying his own defiance CQ Cumber changed the subject in a bid to cover his tracks.

"Do you have a CQ 80? If so please check the map and choose a destination."

"I don't, like you said I am new here."

"Well in that case you may need it, it is a rather handy device for riding the Deepsea Metro, you can use it to monitor your journey through the deep, chat with other sea creatures and earn CQ Points as you ride."

"I'm not interested in your customer loyalty program, I'm here for only one ride anyways, one ride back to Octo Valley!"

' _How rude…'_

"Hmm… Octo Valley… You are the first Octarian I have met who wanted to go to Octo Valley, the others all wanted Inkopolis…"

"Really? Well how unfortunate for them."

' _Unfortunate? She dislikes the surface that much?'_

"However I don't think I can take you to Octo Valley, I do not recall any Octo Valley stations."

"What? An Octoling I met said she made it from Octo Valley to Inkopolis from here!"

' _That has to be subject 10008, she's the only one who made it out of here alive. Is she aware of how potentially dangerous this individual could be?'_

"Please calm down, there are many stations that have been abandoned since nobody uses them anymore, also there may be other ways to enter the metro that I am not aware of."

"Fine, do you know where Octo Valley is? If so then drop me off as close as you can"

"Unfortunately no, I have never had anyone request to go to Octo Valley before therefore I have no clue where it may be. Is there anywhere else you would like to go?"

"I don't know, give me some options."

"Hmm… A recent passenger of the metro has already completed all of the tests that each station offered so I really don't have anything for you… Though there have been reports of sanitized still wandering a few stations... I suggest taking the line back to the central station and deciding where to go from there."

"As long as it's not Inkopolis I'm fine with it. Let's go."

CQ Cumber hurried back to the front and prepared to drive the metro again.

Every now and then he would glance back at Nathalie, she sat around quietly, gaze out into the dark metro tunnels.

Even though nothing was going on, that angry expression remained glued to her face.

' _Is there something big going on up in Inkopolis? If someone like her can show up in such an injured and unhealthy state while bearing such a tremendous hatred for Inkopolis something must have happened.'_ CQ Cumber wondered if perhaps another great turf war was approaching. Like Tartar had said, Octarians and Inklings were known to fight over trivial differences, there hadn't been a great war in a long time likely due to how the majority of Octarians were still living underground.

' _Maybe now that some had left to live on the surface, that was sending the world back to the great turf war days? Or perhaps this is the result of something else.'_ CQ Cumber had no way of knowing what went on above, he never cared about it previously as it didn't concern him but now things were different.

' _No, I have a job to do.'_ There was no time for a trip to the surface.

* * *

Following that encounter Nathalie reflected on what CQ Cumber had told her, how she was apparently scaring off the denizens of the deep with her rather hostile look.

Although she was afraid to let her guard down and worried that bad things may happen if she did, Nathalie came to the conclusion that she had to at least seem somewhat approachable in order to get information on how to return to Octo Valley.

So she distracted herself with thoughts of simpler times in an attempt to forget about Inklings and Inkopolis. It worked however she immediately found another Inkling while exploring some taped off areas of Central Station.

What used to be a break room for the metro staff had been repurposed as a hideout/living quarters by one certain Inkling.

The Inkling obviously wasn't expecting anyone to show up, when he heard the sound of a door opening he looked up and went "* _Cough*_ Hmm? Who's-" But before he could finish Nathalie reacted by hopping backwards in fright.

She had removed her Dualies in order to appear less threatening, that meant she was defenseless at the moment, she scrambled for her Dualies and proceeded to toss burst bombs at the Inkling.

"Gah!?" went the Inkling, however Burst Bombs don't do nearly enough damage to splat in one hit and Nathalie's was not very good at throwing things to begin with.

However the Inkling's attention went to the colour of the Ink left behind from the bombs and not the fact that someone was attacking him. "Wait, that's not the usual ink..."

' _Why would it be different? Maybe now that the Telephone was defeated, these Sanitized are starting to change and act on their own?' He wondered._

Whatever the answer may be, it didn't change that this Inkling was under attack, he grabbed his weapon and kicked open his door to meet the assailant head on!

'BLAM!' The door burst open and smacked Nathalie square in the nose, leaving her fairly dazed.

The Inkling took aim but as soon as he saw his target he stopped.

"Huh?"

Nathalie did not look sanitized at all, her eyes still had whites and her skin was not a deathly teal shade.

But that didn't explain why she attacked him.

' _Someone from the Octarian army maybe? No, she is wearing Inkopolis clothing…'_

Nathalie fired at the Inkling with one hand as the other tended to her face.

The Inkling quickly stepped back a good distance and the ink fell harmlessly to the floor.

' _Directly firing without accounting for range? Yep, definitely not from the Octarian army… hmm…. She has alot of bandages wrapped all over… did she get hurt somewhere before?'_

"Who are you?" He asked as he covered up Nathalie ink with his own blue ink.

It was a harmless question and a perfectly normal one to ask someone you don't know, unfortunately to Nathalie it only served as a reminder to what happened with Finty.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Nathalie shouted in reply.

' _Uhh what? Did I meet this girl before?'_ The Inkling wondered, not understanding why Nathalie had such a response. _'No I don't think I've seen her before, maybe someone I fought against in turf wars? But that doesn't explain this reaction… No wait more importantly…'_

She was trying to splat him.

"Hey hey hey! You really want to do this here? This isn't Inkopolis you know!"

"So what?"

"So no respawning! What else?! Why are you even attacking me in the first place?"

As the Inkling spoke, Nathalie took the opportunity to open fire on him again.

"I'm serious!" The Inkling, then paused to dodge another volley of ink shot his way. "If you are splatted-" He tossed an ink bomb in one direction while dodging in the other, trying to stall for as long as possible "Then that's it for you!" He finally was able to finish speaking, obviously Nathalie didn't care.

' _Okay this isn't working, time for plan B! Plan B? What's a good plan B... Oh I know.'_

The Inkling fired one shot of ink at Nathalie's eyes, Nathalie having near zero experience with actual fighting, had been standing perfectly the whole time, so it was an easy shot.

As Nathalie was temporarily blinded, the Inkling retreated back into his hideout.

"Calmed down yet?" He asked "I don't know why you're here, so how about you stop shooting at me and explain some things."

"I could say the same to you!"

"* _Cough*_ Me?! You shot first!"

"Of course I did, you're an Inkling."

"What's with that logic? No wait, I'm serious, you know nobody can respawn down here right?"

"So what?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Of course not." There was no way Nathalie would blindly believe the words of an Inkling she just met and she was not afraid to express her distrust anymore.

"Oh come on! I'm telling the truth! Sure there are respawn points scattered around, but since nobody is conducting tests anymore, they have all been shut down! Can you please put down your Dualies so we can talk?"

"You first then!" Nathalie challenged

The Inkling however actually considered it and with good reason.

He pulled a canned Bubbler out of his pocket and lifted the tab, If he did throw out his weapon and Nathalie still attacked him he would use that to force his way past her and back to his weapons.

From what he had seen so far, Nathalie was not a very good shot, so he was confident he wouldn't be splatted.

"Ok…"

To Nathalie's surprise, the Inkling actually did toss out his weapons however she was still extremely suspicious of him.

She jumped at nearly every move the Inkling made, holding the Inkling at gunpoint several times as he tried to figure out just what was wrong with Nathalie.

"Hmph."

"What's with the 'hmph'? Were you not expecting an Inkling down here?"

"Of course not! Why would you be here in the first place? Shouldn't you be in Inkopolis?" To Nathalie, the very presence of an Inkling was a cause for alarm.

"Inkopolis? *cough* Well I've been there… well nearly my whole life so I figured I'd take a trip down here." This was true, though Nathalie would only believe half of it, the half where the Inkling confirmed that he was from Inkopolis, which Nathalie believed was full of bad characters.

So when Nathalie was asked if she was trying to reach the promised land, she immediately denied it. Saying "No way" with such disdain it led the Inkling to wonder once again if Nathalie was from the Octarian army.

However he then asked "Whaaat? How could you turn down Inkopolis? Have you ever even gone there before?"

To which Nathalie replied "Oh I did! I've been to Inkopolis alright, I've seen the morally corrupt hellhole filled with self obsessed creatures devoid of empathy." her description of Inkopolis was completely different from what the Inkling knew.

"...Are we really talking about the same Inkopolis?"

"Tch! What, there's another?"

The Inkling let out a chuckle in response to Nathalie's sarcasm, but Nathalie was only annoyed that her current condition didn't immediately tell the Inkling that she was serious about Inkopolis.

"Do you think I'm joking? Oh please. If I had believed the Octarian army I wouldn't have ended up like this."

The words 'Octarian Army' caught the Inkling's attention though.

' _So she's not from the Octarian army, but shares their views? I don't get it.'_

She would then demand to know who this Inkling was and why he was here.

Since he was still curious as to why Nathalie was here, the Inkling introduced himself as Inkay, a self proclaimed explorer of the deep.

The staff room they were in had been repurposed as a hideout for Inkay, as there were still uncontrolled Sanitized Octarians roaming randomly, so a safe place to stay was necessary.

Obviously Nathalie didn't know any of this, instead she was feeling riled up everytime Inkay mentioned Inkopolis.

Inkay noticed and said Inkopolis a few more times to confirm what he thought he had seen. This led him to conclude that Nathalie was very hot tempered and perhaps a bit racist towards Inklings.

' _It wouldn't surprise me if the Octarian army had someone like her, but why does she wear Inkopolis clothes and have a pair of Splat Dualies? Maybe she stole them?'_ He was partially right, as some of the clothes Nathalie wore had been stolen off of one of her assailants.

As Inkay thought about this, Nathalie also went off in her own train of thought, reminiscing about the Octarians she had known, until Inkay brought her back to her senses.

"Hey don't just space out on me! Helloooo!" he spoke loudly, while waving his hands in front of Nathalie's eyes.

In return Nathalie glared at Inkay with disgust.

"Well?" Inkay ignored that look Nathalie gave him. "Your turn."

"What?"

"Come on, don't just leave me hanging, introduce yourself."

"My name is Nathalie…"

"And?"

"That's all you need to know."

Still not trusting Inkay, Nathalie refused to say much about herself, when Inkay called her out for jumping to conclusions, she exclaimed that not jumping to conclusions was exactly what left her in such bad shape.

"Okay…. Well… How about this, look around. Do you see anything that seems suspicious to you?" Inkay challenged, attempting to prove that he is telling the truth.

However Nathalie had already found several points of concern, such as the presence of new furniture in the hideout, which would likely require more than more creatures to haul inside. Or how the entrance to the metro was closed off in Inkopolis, so it wasn't right for him to be down here.

Inkay however simply explained that the denizens of the deep helped him set up, as for the metro being closed off, it was also correct.

Nathalie then noted his random coughs to which Inkay claimed he simply wasn't feeling too well.

This suddenly led to a change of attitude as Nathalie began to look for any natural remedies for colds. Though she ended up finding fresh produce instead of preserved foods, which increased her suspicion that Inkay was not telling the truth about being an explorer of the deep.

Of course she was overthinking it, Inkay's hideout at central station was not more than a day away from Inkopolis and since Inkopolis was a country of fine cuisine, there was no way a citizen of Inkopolis such as Inkay could stand to go on preserved rations.

Nathalie proceeded to make a ginger root tea for her and Inkay, then proceeded to give advice on his cold even though it was nothing too severe. This sudden change in treatment led Inkay to rethink his previous evaluation of Nathalie, though it only brought up more questions.

Nathalie herself didn't know why she suddenly decided to help this Inkling and simply told herself that it was so that she could get something to drink without causing a fuss.

Even more curious, Inkay invited Nathalie to stay a bit longer, pointing out that it was obvious she was hungry, a reluctant Nathalie accepted as she didn't have any other way of obtaining food at the moment.

"... Fine…"

"Alright then, just wait here, I'll go put something together."

Inkay proceeded to make stir fry noodles with a variety of vegetables and soy sauce, though Nathalie was suspecting that he might put something in her portion as Inkay might know about the bounty on her head.

Therefore she went and made Inkay take several bites out of her portion first to prove it wasn't poisoned.

Seeing this, Inkay decided to pull a prank and play dead, which earned him a strong left hook from Nathalie.

"Hmph, well you've had your fun. I'm leaving now and don't you try to follow me."

"Alright alright, you don't like me very much I get it."

"Exactly."

A grouchy Nathalie left quickly, believing that she had spent too much time next to an Inkling already.

As for Inkay he was still left wondering about nearly everything.

Who was Nathalie? Why was she in the metro? What was with her attitude towards Inklings? Did she come from the Octarian army? How come she had so many bandages wrapped on her? How did she get Inkopolis equipment?

Well he couldn't find any answers now.

One more question he had was: why did Nathalie help him out as soon as he mentioned his cold?

It was always possible that she wasn't actually helping him and just giving bad information, but only time would tell now.

Nathalie claimed that the ginger root tea she had made could help with Inkay's cold, so Inkay decided to rest for the remainder of the day.

* * *

Back up on the surface, Garrett watched as the police packed up and left the Deepsea Metro entrance.

It had drawn quite alot of attention, so the IPD had to reinforce the blockade around the metro entrance for a whole day.

Some news reporters hungry for a scoop swarmed the blockade, among them were some Inklings who appeared pretty heavily armed, maybe more Inklings interested in Macrum's bounty.

While that was going on, one of his task force members, Sven had apparently run into Off the Hook at the local police precinct.

Although the Inkopolis government hadn't yet gone public about their G5 task force, they didn't feel a need to hide it since they would be the only ones able to investigate into the Deepsea metro.

Of course, it's not like everyone else was unable to set foot into the metro, but rather the policies that applied to the IPD kept them from entering.

Though in this case it may prove advantageous for the Inkopolis government, as a success here could be exactly what they need to justify the creation of their new task force.

So it was decided that the G5 task force would be made public, since Off the Hook was already asking.

Since Sven had been in the middle of something, he insisted that Pearl and Marina wait for at least one of his colleagues to take over. Eventually Toria came to speak with Off the Hook, while Sven returned with everything he could find concerning Nathalie.

The task force had their own building which acted as their headquarters, a relatively small building as the task force only comprised five members, though the government had planned for the building to have it's own forensics lab, obviously that was still to be added.

Right now all they had was an office for each member, and a main room which featured a large screen on a wall and a table with a touch screen surface connected to a mainframe.

Off to the side stood a rather athletic looking Inkling in a T-shirt and jeans, with a badge visibly worn on his belt, a second Inkling with a scruffier face in a trench coat waited beside him, along with an Octoling wearing a slightly modified set of Octoling armor.

These were Garrett, Lock and Cathrine who had already returned, while Toria were obviously absent, but they would catch her up soon.

"Okay now, what have we got?" Garrett asked.

"Not much we didn't know already." Sven replied, he uploaded everything he had found to the mainframe. "This is everything they found regarding Macrum's villa."

What he found were documents detailing the type of chemicals found at Macrum's burnt villa, notes from IPD detectives and witnesses, pictures taken by Macrum's security cameras shortly before the fire…

"Well, notice anything new? No, there is nothing there we didn't know about already. But if we move on to the second case…"

Sven then continued to the second incident, an alleged break in at the Molluscs of Mercy orphanage.

There was very little hard evidence this time, as Nathalie had not brought much to the orphanage to leave in the first place.

It was mostly notes and pictures of what looked like the scene of a struggle, it showed a rather large mess in the stairway and some knocked over furniture in the living room. Also there had been fingerprints recovered from the scene, which the IPD could not match to anyone already in their database.

"Wait, that's all?"

"Yes, they couldn't find much, but take a look at the notes." Sven pointed out.

Reading out what the IPD had written, it claimed that Nathalie probably didn't expect to be recognized and also pointed out the missing candleholder and first aid.

"Not alot here either…" Lock commented

"Yes, that could just be considered normal, but do you remember what Mother Superior Bernice had said when we spoke to her?"

"Yeah, Nathalie seemed harmless and was a big help at the orphanage." Garrett replied.

"Don't you find it odd that none of that was mentioned here?"

"Maybe they figured it wasn't important and left it out?"

"I doubt it, because Nathalie earning the trust of the orphanage staff and children should have been pretty noteworthy, considering one of the staff even went off on her own to try and help Nathalie instead of reporting her to the IPD."

Indeed, Garrett and Sven had both seen Taleesa come running to Mother Superior after seeing and being splatted by Nathalie in Inkopolis Square.

"Right, so do you think something is missing?"

"Exactly, so I spoke to the detective in charge of this case, his name is Deucos and he claims that he had noted it down before, both by hand and digitally. However neither copy can be found."

"Does that mean someone got rid of it? Do you know what's missing?"

"According to Deucos, the children at the orphanage all stood up for Nathalie, some of the staff also had their doubts. That reminds me, none of this was included in the news stories which preceded that investigation."

Sven moved on to the incident at Inkopolis tower.

"The same thing happened here, no real evidence left behind. This time there had been rumors which put the staff in a panic, leading to them attacking Nathalie when she visited the tower. Apparently, they suspected that Nathalie had poisoned one of the staff, who had contracted a disease called Burax, which is apparently from Octo Valley."

"That's rather unreasonable isn't it?" Catherine commented, since she was the one Octoling in the force she was familiar with the disease, she had also been one of the two G5 operatives who investigated Inkopolis Tower the other day.

"Burax is a rather common disease in the valley, it's only dangerous if left unchecked for a long period of time. Obviously Inkopolis would have no experience with it so whoever had been affected wouldn't recognize it's symptoms and seek help. But to blame it on a specific Octoling is a bit rash, after all there are thousands of Octolings moving out of the underground and into Inkopolis, any one of them could have brought it in."

In the corner of her eye, Catherine saw Lock take a step back.

"Don't worry, I never had it." She assured him.

Finally there was the incident at Finty's apartment, a supposed break in and assault.

Nathalie obviously took her weapon with her, so obviously there was no weapon found, aside from Finty's Turf War gear. However with so many traces of struggles inside the apartment, there was undoubtedly a fight there. There were many pictures of the crime scene, many fingerprints which matched the ones from the orphanage.

"This is the one which seems most like a normal crime, however the time and location is rather strange, why break into an apartment room in the middle of the day when most of its residents are still home? Well that aside there's nothing we didn't know already."

"Hmm, well? Anyone got something?" Lock asked. "There has to be some sort of connection between these events, does the IPD even have a possible motive yet?"

"No" Sven said "They reached the same conclusion as us, it all seems far too random."

' _Random…'_ Garrett wondered _'I guess it's only natural to reach such a conclusion when there is such a lack of information… Are we missing something here? Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way?'_

It was strange for such high profile events to leave so little behind, he could have explained it as the work of an expert, but the acts were far less than professional.

Garrett thought hard, there had to be something which did not add up.

But really there was just so little to go off of.

Then he noticed something.

"Sven pull up the security footage recovered from Macrum's villa."

Sven nodded and did just that.

The IPD had highlighted a short 5 second clip, where an Octoling was seen fleeing the villa.

"That's her, she was seen running away about ten minutes before the fire."

"Ten?"

"Ten minutes is pretty long, do you think something else could have happened in that time?" Lock wondered.

"Well perhaps, but I wanted to check something, did the cameras catch Nathalie entering the villa?"

"Oh good call!" Sven rewinded all the security footage they had and sped it up, stopping every time they saw somebody on screen.

However they did not see Nathalie on camera.

"Hmm, odd. Why run in plain view of cameras if they weren't even spotted in the first place?" Garrett wondered.

"Is that really important? We saw them leave so we know they were there. We just don't know how they got there." Lock commented

"I think it is rather important, since we don't have anything else to go off of, I say we should look further into this first incident."

"That would be a waste of time."

"Excuse me?"

"The IPD have done that already and found nothing, we aren't IPD so we should go into the Deepsea Metro and try to find this 'Nathalie' first." Lock declared.

' _That could work too but…'_ Garrett thought, but Catherine finished that thought for him.

"But that won't work if we can't find her, the Deepsea Metro is off limits for a reason, we may end up fighting all the way and even if we do go after her, how to you expect to track her down?"

"Well what do you suggest?" Lock challenged.

"Glad you asked, I've been rather suspicious of this whole bounty thing going around. In case you haven't heard, Inklings from all over have been chasing after Octolings, sometimes they even attacked them without confirming who they were. All because of that massive bounty on Nathalie's head."

Of course they never splatted anyone, apparently that was a condition that Macrum had placed. Macrum, being the first victim in this crime spree, apparently wanted Nathalie to pay for what she did.

"What? Are you suggesting Macrum might have a bigger involvement?"

"Of course, I find it strange that he would only pay out the bounty if Nathalie is captured alive without being splatted, obviously she is not a registered citizen of Inkopolis so she can't make use of the city respawn network."

Catherine had a point, though Lock dismissed it "I'd say it was careful planning on his part, I mean if he just allowed her to be splatted, would some trigger happy turf war players go out and shoot every Octoling they see?"

"I think you are all forgetting something here." Sven added "The IPD, didn't I tell you that some clues regarding this case have been going missing? It happened before it even reached the news! I think instead of sitting here wondering what else we missed, we should figure out why the IPD have been losing evidence."

"Huh…" Garrett muttered, he didn't expect everyone to come up with their own plans so quickly.

Neither did he expect everyone to start arguing among themselves…

Well the team had just been assembled and put on the case rather hastily, so they were barely familiar with each other, some maybe it was inevitable.

"What's going on here?" Toria had finally returned from being interviewed by Off the Hook, only to return to an argument between the other task force members.

"Ahh Toria, you're back, perfect timing," Sven said "How do you think we should proceed here?"

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

"I believe we should recreate the first incident." Garrett explained "Sven believes someone in the IPD is tampering with the investigation and wants to investigate them instead, Lock believes we should be going into the Deepsea Metro and Catherine thinks Macrum's bounty is too suspicious to pass up."

"Well what's the problem? Can't we just look into all of that?"

"We only have five members, Toria…" Lock pointed out "Maybe Sven's idea is simple enough for just one of us to handle, but entering and investigating the Deepsea Metro is too dangerous so we would need to bring everyone we can. So what do you think? You're the last one here, you got the final vote."

"I uhh… Well to be honest I was planning to look further into the apartment break in, after all it's the only time when the Nathalie that the victim described matched the first description by Macrum…"

"Are you serious? We should be looking into Macrum instead, this whole bounty thing has Inkopolis whipped up in a fervor." Catherine protested.

"Macrum was integral to Inkopolis' development over the past century! Suspecting him is a waste of time! Going into the Deepsea Metro and after Nathalie should be most important! We can't just let a suspect run freely." Lock argued

"Tsk, leave it to scruffy mctrenchcoat to suck up to the man. Don't you see that Macrum's bounty causes nothing but trouble and unrest?"

"What's wrong with trench coats? And this isn't about Macrum, though I wouldn't expect you to understand, it's about moving forward! As in moving forward in this investigation, we can't be wasting time looking back."

"Don't lecture me about moving forward! I left the Octarian army for that very reason! You are the last creature who should be talking to me about advancing."

Garrett watched as the task force began to argue amongst themselves again, though it was mostly Lock and Catherine going back and forth, though Toria and Sven joined in not long after. These five members were still strangers to one another, Garrett included. Perhaps this task force wasn't ready yet.

Well, it's not like anyone could have predicted another Octarian case popping up so soon…

' _The great zapfish has been stolen twice now, then there was the whole squidnapping incident and the Vanguard movement, Octo Valley had a hand in all of these incidents so the IPD was not allowed to interfere. This task force was supposed to fill in the gap but…'_

Garrett watched as the rest began to argue.

' _How are we supposed to do anything if we can't even agree on a course of action?'_

He didn't know much about his colleagues, all he knew was that the ministry of defense chose them all for a reason, however assembling the task force had been quite rushed, each member was given a quick introduction to one another and then told to look into the recent Octoling crime spree.

Well if they weren't ready to work as a team yet, then Garrett would have to go alone.

Nobody else would agree with him right now, so he took one last look at his arguing colleagues and left.

This task force gives him the chance to act however he sees fit, time to put that to use and take a closer look at the initial crime scene.

* * *

The next day on the more carefree side of Inkopolis, an Inkling peeked out of the cordoned Deepsea Metro.

The police had already left by now and the crowd around it had long dissipated, the coast was clear and so the Inkling hurried out and immersed himself back into Inkopolis Square.

This was the same one who had met Nathalie the other day, the one who claimed to be an explorer of the deep and called himself Inkay.

Nathalie had given him fever relief and told him to return to Inkopolis if he wasn't feeling any better, but today he was feeling better than ever. Him returning to Inkopolis was for another reason entirely.

He was following Nathalie's advice regarding what he kept in his deep sea hideout.

' _So, i'm looking for aspirin, antibiotics… what else? You know what, I'll just buy anything related to first aid.'_

He didn't give it much thought before and he didn't really believe Nathalie at first, due to her apparent prejudice towards Inklings, she did make a good point. Inkay had only considered being splatted as the biggest threat in the deep sea, but he never considered the possibility of getting sick with something Inkopolis had never seen before. It would be smart to prepare just in case.

' _Okay, time to shop.'_

Inkay didn't plan on staying here for long, he would be back down in the deep sea rather quickly.

A quick stop to the local retail pharmacy and he'll be right back where he wanted.

After purchasing what Nathalie had suggested to him, he packed up and got ready to head back into the deep.

Of course he'd have to wait a bit, until less creatures were around.

Didn't want people taking an interest in the dangerous deep.

While he waited, he figured he should at least let his family know that he is alright. Obviously they didn't know what he was doing in the deepsea, but they might still be worried.

He quickly sent them a text, informing them that he was okay and asked how they were doing.

' _Hmm?'_ Inkay looked up from his phone, noticing that there was a much larger presence of Inklings in the Square, and that's even with the usual massive Turf War crowd.

' _Is something happening over there? Like a splatfest maybe?'_

Of course there was no Splatfest running at the moment.

Among the crowd was a rather elderly individual.

Though he was well known for his many contributions to Inkopolis' technology boom in the last century, there were some things about him that had been best kept secret.

That is why right now, he was on the phone with another one of his associates.

"Look it doesn't matter what you do, stop them from digging any further. Don't worry, even if they suspect anything i'll vouch for you, a word from me goes a long way after all."

What was so urgent that needed stopping? Well it was the government task force calling themselves the G5.

They, or at least one of them, were investigating and was getting dangerously close to something Macrum could not afford to let out.

It was something many of his associates and even his employees did not know about and would have attracted too much attention if he tried to move or hide it somewhere else.

Luckily that shouldn't be an issue.

"Alright, you got it? Good, I won't be reachable for a while, but please direct any updates to my inbox and I will get back to you as soon as possible."

With that done, Macrum looked around him.

He was surrounded by those who did not ever stop to wonder about that, as they were too focused on the prize at hand: ten billion cash.

Why was such a large bounty being offered by one of the wealthiest Inklings in the world? Who cares!

The fact that it was up for grabs in the first place was an opportunity nobody could miss.

There were quite a few Inklings who wanted to keep chasing that prize and for various reasons.

Some were desperate, others had wild dreams and a few were simply thrill seekers who wanted to go someplace dangerous.

As he looked on, Inkay didn't know what was going on, but he could see at least one familiar face in the group gathered in Inkopolis Square.

He was just about to head over there and ask what was going on, when Macrum announced shouted to them all about the bounty and how they would have to enter the Deepsea Metro, a place far below the reaches of Inkopolis.

Of course, he had to remind them of the dangers that came with entering such a place, it would help with his image and also get rid of any weaker willed Inklings currently set to leave.

Once that was over, the group ran towards the entry to the Deepsea Metro and disappeared into its depths.

Since Nathalie was reportedly fighting back now, Macrum was certain that she would not hesitate to splat anyone accompanying him.

That is why he would go himself, but keep a good distance between him and Nathalie when they find her.

It would be tough to capture her alive at this point, but Macrum had to make sure that she hasn't yet talked to any other Octolings about her experiences.

In Macrum's mind, he saw a repeat of the Great Turf War taking place should Nathalie get away. Even if they silenced her, it would be pointless if she had already told somebody else.

The quickest way of figuring out just who could have been corrupted by Nathalie would be to force it out of Nathalie herself.

That's why he needed her alive just for a while.

Sure he will probably face charges of criminal negligence once he returns to Inkopolis, he was endangering plenty of lives, but that would be much better than what would happen if the Octarians figured out what he had been doing over the last couple of decades.

As so, Macrum, a handful of security and a large number of Inklings delved into the deep sea.

' _What was that all about?'_ Inkay wondered.

He was also a bit worried, were all those Inklings really prepared to face the deepsea?

Sure there weren't as many sanitized Octarians down there now, but who could say for certain whether or not it was safe?

From what he saw, there was at least fifty Inklings who entered the Metro, what could possibly have driven them to leave the safety of Inkopolis?

' _Heh, I'm one to talk… I'm the one living down there for no good reason.'_

He felt a quick tap on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" There was a familiar Octoling there. "Eight?"

"It was you! Why didn't you tell anyone you were back?"

"Don't mean to disappoint you, but I'm just here to get a few things…"

"Oh…. What did you forget this time…"

"Ehhh nothing. What? Don't look at me like that, I'm serious, I just met a rather strange Octoling who had some advice."

"You just take advice from any stranger nowadays? Wait, an Octoling from the Deepsea gave you advice?"

"Nah, she looked like she was from Inkopolis, though she had the strangest attitude, first she attacked me and was all like 'tch I hate Inkopolis and Inklings' then next thing I know she's asking me about my health and giving me advice. Pretty weird right?"

It was indeed weird, but it sounded all too familiar to Eight. She had a hunch on exactly which Octoling Inkay had run into.

"By the way what's going on today? Why did a bunch of Inklings just storm the Deepsea Metro?" Inkay asked.

"That? Well… to be honest I'm not so sure myself. There is this Octoling everyone's been after lately, cause apparently she burned down a villa belonging to Macrum, you know…"

"Oh that friendly old guy who's always showing off his company's new zapfish inventions?"

"Yeah… That's him, they say that he's furious at losing his villa so he put a bounty of ten billion on-"

"TEN BILLION?!"

"Hey wait! I know it sounds like alot, but"

"It's more than alot!"

"Just listen to me! Doesn't all this sound strange to you?" Eight protested. "Instead of leaving things to the police, Macrum has to go and put ten billion on the line."

"It's probably just cause of how dangerous the metro is. Still, ten billion is a bit much for hazard pay. Who are they after anyways?"

"I think you've already met them?"

"I did?"

"You said you met an Octoling who hates Inkopolis and isn't afraid to hide it? Does her name happen to be Nathalie?"

Inkay nodded "Yeah, how did you know?"

"It's the same Octoling they are after."

"Wait! So that Octoling I met is a criminal?"

"No! I mean, I don't know, but didn't at least something feel off to you? I mean I ran into her by chance and even though she won't stop expressing how much she hates Inkopolis and Inklings, something about her felt familiar."

"Familiar how? Do you know her from somewhere else?"

"No, not like that. I mean the way she handled herself, she might look angry all the time, but I felt like she was actually scared of something."

"Hmmm…"

Inkay could agree with that, Nathalie didn't seem to just hate Inkopolis and Inklings, but she seemed rather paranoid too.

She wouldn't even eat the food Inkay had prepared until she had Inkay taste test it for poisons.

"Besides, if you actually look into things, you'll find out that Nathalie isn't as bad as the news makes her out to be. I've been talking with someone who is actually investigating things and she says Nathalie actually helped stop an outbreak at Inkopolis Tower and-."

"Wait a second, if Nathalie is supposed to be on the run, why is she in the Deepsea Metro of all places?"

Eight averted her gaze, but obviously that didn't escape Inkay's sight.

"Hey…. Don't tell me…"

"I didn't mean to, okay?"

"You told her to go into the metro?"

"No, but I uhh… I did tell her about it."

"Probably not a good idea."

"I didn't expect her to actually go there…"

"Yeah and now we got a bunch of Inklings going in after her, well if I can catch up with them maybe I can help."

"You are still going after that bounty?"

' _Vrrt vrrt'_ Inkay had a text. He glanced at his squid phone while replying to Eight.

"No, I'm just saying maybe it would be safer, after all I'm pretty familiar with the Deepsea Metro myself." But then he stopped and gazed in the direction of the metro again.

"What's wrong?"

"... Yeah i'm going back down there right now, they could all use some help here. I'll be back soon, don't worry about me!" WIth that Inkay sped back down to the metro.

"Hey wait!" Too late, he wasn't stopping for anything.

Eight sighed, then smiled to herself.

' _There he goes again, always trying to do everything by himself…'_

She hoped that what she said had gotten through to him and he doesn't act too rashly.

"..."

Maybe she should go down there too sometime…

* * *

Meanwhile back the task force headquarters. Garrett was pouring over floor plans of Macrum's villa, pictures taken of the burnt building and notes from the IPD.

He was trying to figure out why and how Nathalie burned down the villa.

The other task force members had each started doing their own thing.

So much for a team, they hardly knew each other and could barely function as a group.

' _Oh well, I did most of my detective work alone anyways.'_

That's when all five members were suddenly called by Arcus and told to drop everything and head to the ministry of defense.

Unsure as to why they had to stop with their investigations, the task force obliged and all headed over to the ministry of defense.

There Arcus told them that they had to undergo a polygraph test.

"A lie detector? What for?" Sven asked.

"I can't tell you that yet. That would ruin the point." Arcus replied. He led them to a closed door where four chairs were placed out in the hallway next to it.

"So I've heard that, something from the IPD have gone missing recently." Arcus said

"Huh? Oh you mean the notes on the second incident with the Molluscs of Mercy?" Sven asked

"Just notes? From what I have heard, there was also hard evidence and paperwork going missing."

"No! I was told it was just some notes!" Sven protested

"Well whatever the truth might be, it seems like the rest of Inkopolis has already heard about your work."

"Yes, in fact Toria was interviewed by Inkopolis News just yesterday." Garrett explained "Didn't you give us the go ahead for that?"

"It's not just Inkopolis News, every news station in Inkopolis has had some kind of story to tell about you five. You do see what the problem is here right?"

'I do."

This was the task force's first case and already not only did they appear to be losing important evidence but also leaking information.

Hardly the picture that Arcus wanted to paint of the task force.

"So do you think one of us is the cause? Is that why you want us to do the polygraph test? You know those aren't very accurate right?" Catherine added.

"I know, but it's the best we've got for now. Just go through with it and get back to the investigations as quickly as possible. Officers Boil and Kix here will be asking questions, do your best to answer them. Garrett, you're first, in the meantime I have to go ensure the media that we are taking every precaution possible to make this task force work better than our current law enforcement."

Arcus left and in a hurry too.

Garrett watched him go and wondered if this task force really meant as much to Arcus as it did to him. It was his idea to begin with but…

"Alright, so who's been talking to the civvies?" Lock asked.

"What is that a bad thing? They're supposed to trust us so we should be transparent about our actions." Sven replied

"Are you saying it was you?"

"Of course not! You know I was busy working with Deucos and the IPD to figure out how so much stuff went missing!"

"Then how did the media find out about the missing files?"

"What? Are you suspecting me now?" Catherine snapped when Lock and Sven gazed her way.

Toria raised a hand "Actually I have been keeping in touch with Eight, the Octoling we spoke with before. I've been updating her on what's happening now and then."

"Wait seriously? Toria, you aren't supposed to get normal citizens so involved!"

Garrett rapidly entered the polygraph room to stop listening to the rest of the team embarrassing themselves.

A couple minutes later he was back out and left immediately, without even speaking to the other members. He looked rather distressed and kept his eyes to the floor.

Of course by now they had all calmed down, though they weren't speaking to each other anymore.

Sven went in second, as Catherine and Lock waited, refusing the make eye contact with each other.

That left Toria, who immediately took off after Garrett.

"Where are you going?" She asked

"I'm done here, so I'm going back, I was in the middle of something anyways…"

"You aren't going to stay and tell us just what's going on?"

"What's the point? You'll all figure it out soon anyways."

"You seem to be in a hurry, is something the matter?"

"Yes, apparently things aren't going too well for us, they may even disband the task force if we don't get some results soon…"

"So we all go back to being IPD? Is that really a problem?"

"It is to me. I have to get back to headquarters, hopefully I can dig up something that will blow this case wide open before Arcus pulls the plug on us."

"Did they just tell you that we are being disbanded?"

"Not exactly, but the questions they had seemed to imply that… I need to get going."

Garrett left in a hurry, leaving Toria to wonder why Garrett was so distrubed.

Of course Garrett had his reasons.

He sped back to headquarters, wondering just how much time he had left.

' _Arcus, when I heard the minister of defense was setting up some special task force to help deal with cases that involve more than just Inkopolis, I leapt at it. We both knew how vulnerable Inkopolis has become, how easy it was for Octavio and the Octarian army to waltz in and out with no consequence whatsoever. That's why he started this whole thing, so why are we running the risk of being shut down already?'_

Whatever the reason may be right now he had a lot more digging to do.

The floor plans of Macrum's villa, the records of all the changes made to that place over the years, the positioning of all it's security cameras and the patrol routes of it's security guards as well as all of their profiles.

Garrett believed that there was always a reason for any criminal act to be carried out in the way it was, Nathalie's case was no exception.

However they had so little information on how Nathalie burnt the place down.

Garrett thought that if he could figure out how she did it, he could also figure out why, review the process and determine the motive.

Little did he know that he was far too focused on what he could see at the moment, he didn't realize that the reason for this recent turn of events, was because he was getting far too close to something that should have stayed buried.


	14. Chapter 7: Trust No One

There wasn't much else in Bumpin 8 ball station, I saw more of those strangely coloured Octarians, just like the first one they appeared to be Octotroopers. They also would not speak to me and would attack on sight.

I didn't want to splat any of them, I really didn't but what choice did I have?

Whoever they might have been before doesn't matter now. Aside from their looks they didn't seem Octarian in the slightest.

"Zombies don't count, zombies don't count."

I kept telling myself that everytime I encountered one of these 'sanitized' Octarians.

Whatever turned them into what they are now, I hope I don't run into it…

I continued through the strangely designed Bumpin 8 Ball station till I hit a dead end, with no other choice I decided to back track.

Since I had chosen to avoid most of the Sanitized Octarians there was still a good number left, they were all Octotroopers and they didn't seem very bright.

All I had to do and hide in some ink and swim past them in order to get them off my tail.

Therefore I had no reason not to do the same thing on the way back out.

If I can't get to Octo Valley from this station, I'll just try another one, there is bound to be one that leads home… Unless that Octoling up in Inkopolis was lying to me…

Well I won't know until I've visited every single station here I guess…

… And here I thought I'd only need one ride aboard the Metro…

Hmph, well CQ Cumber doesn't seem untrustworthy at the moment…

I could soon see the station close by in the distance.

There was many bright colours there on the platform, what could they be?

They sounded rather chatty, I could hear them from where I am now.

I approached the platform, then I stopped.

Inklings!

The bright colours were Inklings!

WHY ARE THERE INKLINGS IN THE METRO?!

I knew it! That blue Inkling lied to me! There WERE more Inklings down here!

Okay just stay calm, stay calm… They don't see me yet, just back up slowly…

Slowly…

Okay now run!

Running… Running…

Where am I going even?

I'm running right back into the sanitized Octotroopers I left behind.

They were busy covering up the ink I had left behind and hidden in earlier.

Of course they spotted me and immediately started firing at me instead.

I turned around, only to see that the Inklings had caught up.

"See! I told you I saw something! That's her right?" One exclaimed.

Sanitized in front, Inklings behind, what can I do now?

The Inklings advanced on me, I'm guessing they still had to take me alive…

The Sanitized Octotroopers however opened fire.

The ground I was standing on still had my ink on it, so I changed to Octopus form and swam aside.

"Eeekkk!"

I heard a shrill shrieking from the Inkling side as the blobs of sanitized ink missed me and flew towards them.

Then I noticed more shots flying towards the Inklings making them scatter.

The sanitized couldn't see me while I was in octo form lying in my own ink, so they started attacking the Inklings, I guess they attacked everyone indiscriminately.

The Inklings scattered, well they can't respawn down here, so they are probably scared out of their wits to have someone firing upon them.

A good path opened up in the Inkling group as some ran for cover while others started to fight back against the sanitized.

Now is my chance, I hopped out of my ink, fired my Dualies forward and ran for the metro station!

I heard some Inklings shouting that I'm getting away, or shouting at me to stop, as if I would obey.

Screw that, I'm heading back to the metro station!

I hoped that CQ Cumber would be there to pick me up, but I didn't see the metro anywhere…

What now? Those Inklings should be right behind me…

Should I run along the tracks? That sounds dangerous, what if the subway arrives and runs me down?

Is there anywhere else I can go?

There were stairs at the subway platform leading further downward, a sign above read "To Line C" I don't see any other choice so I'm heading there.

I ran down the stairs to another subway platform and just in time too! The was sitting there, doors open and everything!

I leapt on board and the doors closed immediately.

Immediately?

Wait who's controlling this thing?

"Welcome aboard, we are now heading northbound on line C, please remain seated until we come to a complete stop." Came a voice over the speakers.

It was the same voice as CQ Cumber's… Does that mean he is also driving this subway?

"Phew" I slid back in my seat. If it's CQ Cumber then it should be fine. I was worried that I hopped aboard an Inkling controlled train for a second there.

Wait no.

Just because it's CQ Cumber conducting it doesn't mean there isn't any other Inklings here.

I can't let my guard down so quickly, nor should I stay here.

A subway train can only go in two directions so it would be incredibly easy for those Inklings to figure out where I went.

I should get off quickly and walk, no first I should let a few stations pass.

Since I don't know where I'm going I have an advantage here, it's almost impossible to track down someone who is wandering around aimlessly, although I am trying to get back to Octo Valley, I don't know how to get there, so if I go explore every station I can find, it will be similar to wandering around aimlessly and make it much more difficult to find me.

I'm also not sure if CQ Cumber is with me or against me, he said he was the only conductor in this metro so he had to have been the one who brought those Inklings to Bumpin 8-Ball station.

Of course since coming down here, I never told anyone about what happened in Inkopolis so I doubt CQ Cumber would know about the bounty.

Still I shouldn't get too comfortable around him.

Let's just get off this train after a few stops then wander on my own.

* * *

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea…

It's been a long time since I got off that subway.

I got off at Radical Rails station, since then I have not used the subway nor made contact with anyone other than Sanitized Octarians.

Whenever I finished exploring a station I would walk on the rails, if the subway came I would fire ink on the walls and hide in it as the subway passed by.

If there were too many Sanitized Octarians in one station I would run.

All this worked but…

I am getting more and more tired with each passing moment and although I am used to feeling hungry by now I can't stop feeling weaker and weaker.

It's been more than a day since I got off the train, that means it could have been two days since I last ate.

I'm starving although I can't really feel it…

Perhaps I could eat a sanitized Octarian? They seem completely different from Octarians now so maybe that won't be considered cannibalism.

But with how they are acting, almost robot or zombielike, what if I became one of them after consuming one?

I did see sanitized Octolings among them, I didn't want to become one of them.

What else can I do?

I heard mention of squid rings back in the valley, if I caught one of the Inklings pursuing me..

No I don't think I can capture one without splatting them, plus they are probably travelling in groups down here…

...Like a pack of piranhas hunting me down…

No that won't work either.

It's getting harder to stand and harder to think as if the rest of my body is fighting against me.

I don't feel any pain but I am also starting to lose control of myself.

Have I been walking for days without rest?

The last time I slept was before I even discovered the metro, so that means it's been over two days.

I think I have cleared eleven stations by now and that doesn't include the time I spent walking along the rails, I should have a rest.

Although I'm worried what might happen to me while I'm asleep…

I'm not sure what station I'm at now, but I had been travelling westward and changed lines a few times, so I think I've put some distance between me and those Inklings.

I'm sure Inklings have to rest too.

There were also no Sanitized Octarians in sight.

Perhaps I can just have a quick… nap... Yeah that will work….

Every surface feels the same to me anyways so I have no problem sleeping on the floor.

I found a good dark corner for myself and lay down.

Maybe i'll feel better soon.

* * *

… Hungry…

I'm actually starting to feel hungry despite my numbing senses, it must be pretty bad then.

Though I don't feel like getting up.

Although the ground I lay on felt cold and hard as usual, the gentle rocking of the subway as it glided along the rails was slightly relaxing…

The gentle metallic thuds it made as it chuffed along was also pretty peaceful…

' _Bo bong bo bong bo bong'_

Wait a second! Didn't I fall asleep at a station? Why does it sound like I'm back in the Deepsea Metro?

My eyes shot open.

"Oh you're awak-!"

My reflexes kicked in and I immediately punched the familiar blue Inkling sitting beside me.

Is this even the same Inkling? It's hard for me to tell by now.

But wait, if he's here, does that mean the rest of them caught up too!?

I threw myself up and reached for my Dualies and found myself back aboard the Deepsea Metro.

There was nobody else in this subway car but me and the Inkling from before.

That must mean he is up to something…

I watched as the Inkling picked himself back up and retrieved a phone from the floor, I guess he dropped it when I punched him.

"Why am I here? What's your goal?" I demanded.

"... As paranoid as ever I see."

"That doesn't answer the question!"

"I just saw you lying in Ride With Me Station and carried you back to the metro, is that really bad?"

"Where are the others?"

"Others?"

"I know there are other Inklings down here, don't try and lie to me."

"I'm not trying to lie, you just had to be more specific."

"Stop stalling."

"I'n not- Okay look I did see other Inklings coming down here, but I don't have anything to do with them okay? Last I saw them they were heading up to line D. They are moving rather slowly though, and in pretty big groups, guess they are pretty nervous exploring the metro."

"You do know why they are here right?"

"Uhh… Do I?"

This guy…

It's been a few days since I saw him so he could have gone back to Inkopolis already…

If he did go back to Inkopolis he could have easily figured out what happened back there.

Even if I try to tell him what really happened I know how that always ends, so let's keep quiet about that for now.

"Now arriving at Central station," I heard the conductor announce…

Central station… Wait he brought me back here? But this is the closest station to Inkopolis…

"..."

"Why are you staring at me so intensely? I'm just heading back to the hideout." The Inkling explained.

Right, I did find him here before…

But it's also the closest station to Inkopolis…

As soon as the subway came to a stop, the Inkling got up, completely leaving his back to me exposed.

Is he not worried for his own safety? I could just splat him right now…

"Well? Are you coming?" he asked me.

This is very suspicious...

"Are you really trying to help me? Why?"

"Didn't you also help me? Is it that strange to return the favor?"

Really? So he's doing this because of some trivial things I said and did only out of common sense…

But that reminds me of…

' _Is there some contract I had signed which obligates me to listen to you? No!'_

Something that happened before…

'

Why would anyone help me if there wasn't anything in it for them? It's not like we had a signed deal.

I'm fairly certain this Inkling has gone back to Inkopolis and found out about the bounty on me, that is the only explanation, he would have carried me back to the metro headed for Central Station otherwise…

"Come on, I properly restocked and brought what you had suggested, let's just get a few things and head out towards Octo Valley!"

Octo Valley?

I glared at the Inkling again, how would he know that I was headed for Octo Valley? Who could have told him that?

I am now a hundred percent certain he's going to double cross me.

There was no other reason he would mention Octo Valley like that unless it was a lazy attempt at trying to gain my trust right? Besides there is no way an Inkling could know about Octo Valley.

Sure there were Octolings living in Inkopolis now, but I doubt any of them would ever take any Inklings with them back to Octo Valley and as much as I hate to admit it, Octo Valley wasn't exactly the greatest place to live.

Yes I am absolutely sure of it! This Inkling knows about the bounty and has come back for it!

I must be on my guard.

He's taking me back to that place he calls his hideout, I bet Macrum or some other Inklings will be waiting there.

I'm still struggling to stand and walk so I must be starving, I doubt I can just run away. Maybe I can try to take him hostage and use that to escape.

Or maybe I can try to slip away while he isn't paying attention…

Wait if I'm starving and he is all by himself, maybe I really could try to eat him.

I was completely lost in thought as I mindlessly followed this Inkling, back through central station.

We reached the same room from before and I got ready to attack the Inkling from behind.

He really left his back towards me, but I know better than to fall for that trick.

As soon as he opened the door I lept at him with my Dualies in hand.

I aimed freely with one Dualie and my other arm wrapped around the Inkling's neck to keep him from escaping.

I was just about to shout but then I realized the hideout was devoid of Inkling presence.

"Hey what are you doing?!" the Inkling shouted at me as I gazed around in confusion.

There wasn't many hiding places in the hideout but still….

I shoved the Inkling aside and ran into the hideout and checked behind the door.

Nothing.

What about under the couch/bed?

Nobody.

Maybe one of them is hiding in the freezer?

Nope.

How strange…

I was sure they'd try to ambush me here…

The Inkling picked himself back up and said "What is wrong with you?"

"Just reflexes, don't worry about it…" I told him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't make such a big deal out of it, blame Inkopolis."

"Inkopolis.. .Hey I'm pretty sure I've asked this before, but just what happened to you in Inkopolis?"

"That's none of your business."

There's no need to tell him, he's gone back to Inkopolis and should have heard about me, even if he hasn't I shouldn't tell him, he wouldn't believe me anyways.

"Well we're here now, what do you want?" I asked.

"I said we were going to get some stuff and head out to Octo Valley didn't I?"

"I never agreed to that."

"Okay but I'm serious, I know you're trying to get back to Octo Valley-"

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"I uhh… it's an educated guess since you obviously don't want to go back to Inkopolis."

Fair point, but I know somebody must have told him. He sounded way too sure of himself when bringing up Octo Valley and then his voice seemed to shake a bit when I asked him how he knew.

It's best to get away from him as soon as possible.

"Well since we are here, we may as well get ready, are you hungry again? You aren't carrying any food with you right? We'll eat then head out afterwards."

"No." I insisted "We leave now, I'm not letting you buy time for the other Inklings to get back."

"I'm not with those guys, honest!"

"In that case you have no problems with me leaving now!"

"You're going alone again?"

"It's safer this way…"

"No it isn't! I'm sure you've seen the sanitized Octarians by now."

"I can handle it."

"What about the tougher ones? Like the sanitized Octostomp Redux?"

What the heck is an Octostomp redux?

"Come on, I can help you get back to Octo Valley."

"Yeah right, I know you'll just lead me on some twisty and confusing route back to Inkopolis."

"I won't! How about this, I'll carry everything and-"

"So you can leave me abandoned without anything to survive on? Nice try."

"What? You want to take everything with you then?"

"And let me exhaust myself so I'm easier to capture? No way."

I know things can't be this simple, no way someone would just lead me back to Octo Valley without trouble, especially not an Inkling. All of this is highly suspicious.

"There is just no reasoning with you is there…" the Inkling muttered

Why would there be? I've already thoroughly expressed my discontent for Inklings, if he had no ulterior motive he would have just left me alone after our last encounter.

That being said I do still need food and drink, but should I really ask an Inkling for that?

This Inkling seems dead set on travelling back out into the metro and is already packing.

… hmm…

He also seems to have bought the first aid items I had suggested, along with easily preserved foods such as dried meat and tinned sardines…

That would mean he has been to Inkopolis recently, as he definitely did not have those before…

That combined with the recent appearance of Inklings in the deepsea metro tells me that he likely knows about the bounty on my head.

I think I should slip back to the metro as soon as I can…

* * *

I left that Inkling's hideout and headed back aboard the metro. I'm still starving so I hoped one of the deep sea creatures could have spared some food for me, but unfortunately none of them were present, or maybe they saw me coming and are intentionally avoiding me...

Although I did intend on travelling alone, I can't seem to shake this one annoying presence beside me.

Obviously, I'm referring to the blue Inkling sitting next to me with two backpacks on his lap.

I sighed "Have I not made it clear that I don't want your help?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you still here?!"

"I said I'm here to explore the deep sea, haven't I?"

"That doesn't explain why you are following me."

"I'm not following you, we just happen to be going in the same direction."

Yeah right…

This Inkling who calls himself an explorer has no real goal and can go wherever he likes in the deepsea under the excuse of 'exploring' I bet.

That means words won't work and he is going to be following me for a while.

"Hey, if we are both headed in the same direction we might as well stay together! It's always nice to have some company down here."

See? I called it. What the Inkling just said was practically an admission.

"If you want company there are plenty of other Inklings roaming around now."

"Ehh those guys? With how slowly they're moving I doubt I'd get anywhere with them."

He's got an excuse for everything huh...

"Say, you haven't eaten in a while haven't you?"

"Obviously."

"Yeah I doubt you're carrying much with you. Well then this is for you."

The Inkling passed over one of the backpacks he brought with him.

I bet he planned on giving this to me from the very beginning.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked

"Nothing, It's just a bunch of stuff you recommended."

Stuff I recommended? I feel like this is a trap, no way some random Inkling would just give me something for free. But I'm also curious as to what is inside...

I eventually gave in to curiosity and opened the bag, it was packed full of non spoiling foods and first aid of first aid, I haven't changed my bandages in a while, I almost forgot I had them on.

Though I don't want to use anything from this Inkling's bag just yet, as I have yet to confirm whether it's a trap or not.

But I am also hungry…

I dug out three pieces of jerky, tore off their wrappers and picked off small bits out of each piece. Then I shoved them towards the Inkling.

"Eat this!" I ordered him

"Wha? Again? I'm not trying to poison you!"

"Then why aren't you eating it?"

The Inkling didn't say anything else and just ate the bits of jerky.

"You don't have to stare at me so intensely…" He said.

"I do." I had to observe him closely, if he shows even the slightest sign of discomfort, then I'm getting rid of all the food he just gave me.

He simply leaned away from me before averting his gaze.

I waited a few more minutes, but the Inkling did not react. I guess that means it's safe to eat.

Finally!

Like everything else I've been eating recently, this jerky tasted as bland as white bread, but it was still a huge relief to be eating something again.

Now, I had better change my bandages and get off the metro.

I began to unravel the old bandages, the wounds underneath still hadn't healed much, possibly due to a lack of nutrients and proper rest. These are all definitely going to leave scars, I can't imagine how bad it would look in a mirror. Come to think of it, when was the last time I saw myself in a mirror?

I noticed the Inkling wince as I removed my bandages, figures somebody who lived a life of vanity would be so squeamish. But despite being repulsed he composed himself and asked.

"Need any help with that?"

"Just go home already."

You'd think that he'd understand i'll never let my guard down and just give up whatever he had planned, but he is annoyingly persistent.

Though to be honest, something feels different about this one…

No, I must be imagining it, he has the same curious look in his eyes as before. Taleesa and Finty both had the same looks when they first saw me and we all know how that worked out…

"Alright fine, but tell me one thing. What happened to you in Inkopolis?"

"..."

I'm not going to repeat my mistakes, I know what will happen if I answer that.

"You said that you came here from Inkopolis, but then why are you so hurt? Inkopolis is probably the most technologically advanced city there is, the doctors there could easily treat you. Is there maybe some reason you can't just go see a doctor?"

This Inkling is a terrible liar, I know he's heard about the bounty, why else would he look for me? And if he knows about the bounty he knows why I can't just see an Inkopolis doctor.

Not that i'd trust them in the first place.

"Not to mention how you got that badly hurt in the first place, did you get into a fight?"

This is annoying, I haven't explored the upcoming station yet, so I think I will get off now in order to spare me from this Inkling's presence.

"Hey wait! If you don't want to talk can you at least hear me out?"

Nope.

I'm leaving now, this Inkling had better leave me alone this time.

Looking back, I saw the Inkling pack up, ready to tail me out once again, guess it's not that easy to change an Inklings mind.

If that's the case I'm not going to get off the subway yet.

"Alright, what excuse do you have for me this time?"

"It's not- Okay just listen, if you want to go to Octo Valley you should be heading east."

"Oh? How would an Inkling like you know that?"

"It's not that hard, central station is pretty much directly under Inkopolis Square, which is west of Octo Valley. So obviously you would want to go east."

"Not that, how would you know where Octo Valley is?"

"I know quite a few Octolings. Besides, every Octoling up in Inkopolis came from Octo Valley."

"Is that so…"

I guess it's not impossible after all, I myself did see plenty of Octolings up on the surface.

And I did enter the Deepsea Metro from Inkopolis Square, though I don't know which direction Octo Valley is in… If it is really to the east then I have probably been going the wrong way. Though there is always a chance the Inkling is lying.

Should I take this chance? I have no idea where Octo Valley may be so I am inclined to at least travel eastward and check. I wouldn't have to wait much either, since the metro is currently headed eastward.

"Alright, guess I'll bite, tell me where you think Octo Valley is, then leave me alone."

"Are you sure? It's not safe to go alone down here."

"I beg to differ." Though I doubt anything will stop this Inkling from following me around, perhaps the best course of action here is to wait for a chance to run.

For now I will wait for the metro to reach the end of the line, then if we ever need to proceed on foot, I'll try to lose this Inkling.

* * *

We waited for a while, oddly enough no other creatures boarded the subway at this time, so there was nothing but an awkward silence between me and the Inkling as we waited.

Soon CQ Cumber announced that we were reaching the end of line A, so we got off and boarded the northbound subway on line C.

CQ Cumber followed us, as he was the only conductor here.

We headed northward and passed a few stations, until we reached the end of the line again.

Time to change lines again and keep heading east.

This time however there was a rather large number of deep sea creatures at the platform waiting.

"Hmm? What's going on over there?" The Inkling wondered.

"I'm supposed to know?"

"No I was just- ahh forget it."

The Inkling got up and walked onto the platform speaking to the first creature he met.

I think I saw CQ Cumber there as well, but it's hard to tell due to his small size.

Hey wait, if everyone is distracted at the moment, perhaps this is a good time to run away?

I looked around, but the only way out was either the train tracks or back to line C.

"It seems like we are walking the rest of the way."

"Ahh!" That startled me! When did the Inkling come back?!

"Are you alright?"

"Of course not, also what do you mean by "we"? Haven't I made it clear that I don't want your help?"

"Yeah but you know, most creatures who don't ask for help often need it the most. So I think I'll stick around."

"Ughhh."

"Come on, don't be like that, it will be better this way! After all the reason why so many sea creatures are here is because they are running from the Sanitized Octarians."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, apparently there's alot of them gathering near the end of lines D and J, so CQ Cumber is going to be busy getting all these creatures out of here. That means the subway is going west and we are going to have to continue on foot."

"Really? Hold on a second.."

I couldn't ask anyone to confirm where Octo Valley was, but I can speak to CQ Cumber to make sure what this Inkling just said was true.

"Excuse me conductor, I heard that you won't be taking us eastward on line D."

"Yes, as I have stated before I am the only conductor of this metro, since there are so many creatures fleeing westward I have no choice but to give priority to them. I would also suggest that you do the same or at least avoid heading in that direction alone due to the presence of sanitized Octarians."

Hmm, so the Inkling told the truth again? What is his goal here?

Though if even CQ Cumber suggests continuing in a group, then perhaps I should let this Inkling come with me…

Nah… it's not like I have a choice. I should watch my back. No way I could feel comfortable when an Inkling who reminds me of both Finty and Macrum is shadowing me all the way…

Wait a second, if that's the case wouldn't it be great if something happened to him while he supposedly guides me to Octo Valley?

Yes, that thing is both the same species, colour and gender as both Macrum and Finty, I was already seeing both their faces overlap with this Inkling's. The same look of the devil that I had been running scared from, if this Inkling led me forward and we got attacked by sanitized Octarians, I could hang back and watch him die, perhaps that could make me feel better, yes I will be able to see the same pained and fearful face I had always made around Macrum, I'll see the same look of betrayal I had made when I heard Finty was selling me out…

"Heheh."

If I could describe this Inkling now I would say he had the most foolish look on his face trusting me to just give in and follow him to where he claimed was Octo Valley. I bet he has no idea how far I'll go now to preserve myself.

He stood there, waiting for me to return to him after confirming what he just told me, he really was going to follow me down line D is he.

Alright then, I guess I can play along for now.

"I guess I have no other choice, I'll go with you but don't you dare try and double cross me cause mark my words I'll be ready for it."

"Sigh, you'd think you'd lose the raving paranoia by now…"

"It's not that simple."

"Could you maybe tell me why?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We should get going, I want to get back home as quickly as possible."

'Uhh okay."

It's not like he will believe what really happened in Inkopolis.

"Ahh hold on you two." A voice called us back.

CQ Cumber was scurrying over here as quickly as he could.

"I forgot to warn you, that with the disappearance of Kamabo Corp, the Sanitized Octarians have been wandering on their own, you should expect to see certain sanitized in places they should not be, also until we are certain it is safe, the deepsea metro will not travel any further eastbound from here."

"Well that's better for us right? At least this way we won't be looking over our backs for an incoming train."

"There is more, since both of you carry weapons, the denizens of the deep would like to request that you try to clear out as many of the sanitized Octarians as possible."

What?

I don't know about this Inkling, but I only carry around these Dualies out of necessity and for self defense, I'm not some kind of mercenary.

I saw the Inkling glance over at me, perhaps he noticed how displeased I looked because he replied with.

"I can do that, but first I have to take Nathalie here to Octo Valley."

So he is still sticking to that story huh… very well.

"In that case, I wish the best of luck to the both of you."

* * *

We continued down Line D and sure enough we soon encountered Sanitized Octarians.

The first batch was only a small number of Octotroopers and an Octoling.

It was strange seeing another Octoling here, of course it's pale skin and robotic voice quickly reminded me that this wasn't one of my fellow Octarians.

I figured I could take this chance to get rid of the Inkling, but before I could do anything, the Inkling said "Don't worry, i've got this."

I watched as he ran ahead, firing ink wildy on the ground as he advanced.

At first I could not understand why he would do such a thing, then when he got into range of the sanitized I saw him fire at them, the Octotropers returned fire but the Inkling dove back into his own ink and swam to the side, before popping out to splat another Octotrooper.

When the sanitized Octoing threw a pyramid shaped object at him, he seemed to know exactly what danger it posed and once again used his ink to swim away just enough as the object turned out to be a bomb which detonated, leaving a rather large puddle of turquoise ink.

The Inkling had bombs too, as well as a two handed weapon which shoots similarly to my Dualies, but I don't recall seeing a weapon of similar design back in Inkopolis. He would toss bombs and fire a short burst before retreating into his ink, this allowed him to quickly deal with all the sanitized without getting hit once.

Once the Octotroopers were out of the way, the Inkling faced off against the more agile sanitized Octoling. Though it didn't last any longer than the Octotroopers, the Inkling swam into range, before popping up beside the Octoling and firing a quick burst of ink, splatting it too.

"Alright, the coast is clear!" he told me with a smile.

I don't know if that smile was supposed to be reassuring or terrifying.

I underestimated this Inkling.

I don't know much about fighting, but seeing how this Inkling knew exactly how to deal with these sanitized Octarians as well as how to react to their counterattacks, makes me think he has had alot of practice doing this…

It gave me chills watching him take down those sanitized, especially that Octoling.

I bet he has fought plenty of Octarians before…

"Uhh, hey? I said the coast is clear."

"Oh, I was lost in thought."

"Well you can save the brainwork for later, we still got a long way to go."

"Right…"

I have to figure out just what this Inkling wants, or at least how to get rid of him without having to confront him directly.

Perhaps I can wait just a few more hours…

We would have to rest eventually and maybe then I could make a move.

There was still a long way to go, but not much to see as we spent most of our time on the tracks. Nothing to see but dark tunnels, nothing to hear but our own footsteps and the occasional sanitized voice.

I made sure to keep the Inkling in my line of sight, it wasn't too hard since he was still going with the whole "I'll take you to Octo Valley" story. Though I kept my hands on my Dualies just in case.

After a while though, I noticed that the Inkling's steps began to slow.

I'm not sure exactly how long we were walking, but I think the Inkling was starting to get tired.

There was another station coming up, I could hear some voices coming from it too, probably sanitized Octarians as the voices sounded emotionless and flat.

We had been skipping most stations since our goal was just to reach Octo Valley, but we should probably make a stop here.

At this point, I noticed the Inkling yawn just a bit.

"Are you getting tired?" I asked.

I know the Inkling was still healthy, so he would still feel tired after hours of walking and fighting, so I figured now would be a good time to stop and rest for the day.

"No I'm fine, we can keep going."

"In that case, we can go into this station and clear it out, make it safer for the night."

"Night?" The Inkling pulled a squid shaped smartphone out of his pocket and glanced at it quickly. I guess he was checking the time. "Oh you are right."

I am?

I had no idea, I only took a guess since it had been a while and the Inkling looked like he was starting to get tired.

"Okay then, let's look around for sanitized Octarians, after that we will call it a night." The Inkling declared.

We climbed up from the track and headed into the station.

We found ourselves on a pretty large square shaped platform as soon as we arrived, I couldn't see very far into the horizon as it was foggy for some reason but I think there was a giant propeller in the background?

Just where are we?

Suddenly the Inkling stopped, he slowly stepped back towards me.

What's he going to do?

"Psst, Nathalie, look over there."

Oh I guess he just wanted to whisper for some reason, perhaps he saw some sanitized Octarians up ahead.

The Inkling pointed to something in the distance.

There was a second, larger platform up ahead, I didn't notice it earlier since it was positioned slightly lower than our current one.

There seemed to be some boxes stacked around the platform, it looked like a small fort that maybe the children at the Molluscs of Mercy would have loved to play on…

And just past that, I saw sanitized Octarians quite a lot of them, they were all staring this way.

The Inkling mumbled something to himself, though I couldn't really make out what he was saying at first, so I leaned a bit towards him.

"-wer station now has Octostamps and Octocommanders in addition to Octolings… Huh?"

The Inkling noticed me and silenced himself before smiling at me again.

What was he saying to himself there? I think I heard him say Octostamps and Octocommanders. Even if I am not familiar with those names I assume they are types of sanitized Octarians, from the way he's eying the sanitized below us, it's almost as if he was not expecting them, or at least not all of them. Has he been here before? Or maybe he heard of this place?

What station is this anyways?

"Well this place doesn't look too bad, we just have to clear it out, make it a bit safer for us right?"

The answer is as clear as day, why is he looking at me as if desperate for a reply? Maybe he thinks I will stop suspecting him if we talk more? If that's the case I might as well question him on whether or not he is familiar with this station.

"You've been here before?"

"What?"

"Have you?"

"I've uhh… Heard about it."

"Then why were you acting like something is out of place here?"

"I was just taking note and remembering what CQ Cumber told us. That the sanitized are wandering wherever they please."

"Well if that's the case, tell me what are the Octocommanders and Octostamps you just mentioned?"

"You don't know? The Octarian army should have them too."

"Do I look like I'm from the Octarian army?" I don't think so, back before I was kidnapped the Octolings who wanted to join the army were all far more athletic than me. I also doubt somebody as skinny as I am could qualify for the army.

"You're not? Well I guess that kinda makes sense? But then how did you get all those scars?"

"Take a wild guess."

"Uhhh… well from your behavior I would say Inkopolis, but…"

"Let me guess, you don't believe somebody could be reduced to such a state in Inkopolis."

The Inkling nodded.

Oh screw off! Of course everyone up on the surface is so blissfully ignorant that they won't even stop to question why I'm so hurt, unhealthy and on the run!

"I uhhh, did I say something wrong?" The inkling had taken a few steps away from me.

Ahh right, I apparently scare people now with my scarred appearance and hateful expressions.

Well this time I'm actually glad, I'll just glare at the Inkling again, maybe then he'll keep his distance from me.

I shot him a glance and in response he said. "You know what? I think i'll just… Get started on this station, yeah." He then fired at something in the ground, some round object, a pad of some sort?

The pad turned blue when it made contact with his ink, he then hopped into squid form and landed inside, before being propelled upwards in a streak of blue and landing dead centre on the other platform.

I watched him begin to fight the sanitized Octarians.

I really have to wonder just what this Inkling's goal is, he doesn't seem afraid of being splatted like those other ones I saw back at Bumpin 8 Ball station. He also seems rather familiar with this place, though that could just mean he was telling the truth when he called himself an explorer of the deep… But that doesn't explain why he would be able to fight the sanitized Octarians so confidently.

Seeing the way he fights though, I have no doubt he could have captured me alive if he had wanted to, so I guess it is safe to follow him for the time being, unless he is leading me into a trap… Though it is also possible that he really doesn't know about the bounty and I'm just being paranoid.

Well, it's not like my paranoid is unjustified, I'd prefer to think of it as 'playing it safe' after what I had gone through.

I continued watching the Inkling fight for a bit.

I doubt the sanitized would finish him off, I also doubt that he needs my help.

He fought rather efficiently, snapping to one target and not letting up until it was splatted, when he was shot at he would rapidly swim out of the way without letting his original target out of his sight.

''

Every now and then he glanced back at me, I guess he expected me to join in?

I'd rather not die thank you.

I decided to sit back as the Inkling took care of everything.

As I thought, It didn't take long for the Inkling to clear out the sanitized Octarians.

"Well I think that's all of them, why didn't you help me?" He asked

"It's not like you needed it." I doubt I have to worry about the sanitized if he is here, though I still fear that this might be a case of picking the lesser of two evils.

"Okay but still…"

"If you are just going to complain I can go the rest of the way alone, just tell where Octo Valley is and I'll get there myself."

"No, there were way more sanitized here than usual, I don't think you should be going anywhere alone."

Do I really have to stay in the company of this Inklings? "Ughhhh fine."

With no other choice I decided to prepare for the night. Even though I didn't really have anything to prepare.

I can barely taste or feel anything to begin with, so I don't need anything soft to rest on. As for food, I'll just force feed a bit of it to the Inkling first to check for poison.

Could I even rest now? I'm still worried that the Inkling accompanying me might try something as soon as I'm out. Perhaps it would be better if I stayed up.

The Inkling was well prepared for a long journey it seems, as I saw him unpack what looked to be a tan sleeping bag and a slightly torn black blanket.

He glanced between the two then looked at me, I guess he was about to ask which one I would take.

"You can rest for now, I'll stay up and let you know if anyone comes this way." I told him.

"Huh? We already cleared out the sanitized Octarians here."

"Still, better safe than sorry."

"Uhh okay, suit yourself."

I doubt I can fall asleep in the presence of this Inkling anyways.

* * *

Just like before, when we ate I made the Inkling take a part of my share just in case, I only ate after he showed no signs of discomfort from eating my share of food.

Then, just like I had suggested, the Inkling went to rest and I stayed up to watch for sanitized Octarians.

It was still oddly foggy in this station, though I could still see the previous platform we arrived from.

If any sanitized Octarians show up it will probably be from that direction as it connects to the rest of the metro.

…

This feels incredibly wrong.

Why am I guarding an Inkling from Octarians?

Well the sanitized aren't really Octarian any more.. Are they? I don't know.

The Inkling seemed to have no trouble trusting me to stay on guard all night and promptly went to sleep, now he lay motionless and defenseless on the ground.

As expected of someone raised in Inkopolis, it seems like Inklings get everything handed to them and can do whatever they want without worrying about the consequences.

It was rather infuriating how this Inkling was so peacefully snoozing away, completely ignorant of everything I kept telling him.

Grrrr…

If that's the case I should give this guy a harsh lesson in reality, I wanted him to leave me alone but he wouldn't, so should i maybe ditch him while he is asleep?

I looked out into the night, it wasn't much different from daytime down here, so I had gotten used to it by now. If I leave now what are the chances that a sanitized Octarian will find this Inkling? And what are his chances of survival if they do find him?

Well I don't really have any way of finding out, maybe I should just leave and be done with it, I've already told this Inkling to leave plenty of times so it shouldn't be a surprise if I run away now.

…

But that means he will be expecting it, yes he probably knows that I might try to abandon him here so he is only pretending to sleep!

I crept over towards him.

Hmmm he actually looks fast asleep…

Should I maybe poke him or talk to him to check if he is actually awake? No that wouldn't work, if he is actually asleep doing that might wake him up. How else can I check to see if he is still awake and paying attention to his surroundings?

I think I know…

I raised one arm, aiming a Dualie at the defenseless Inkling.

Come on now, make a move, prove to me that you were lying all along, give me a reason to squeeze this trigger.

…

No reaction.

Instead the Inkling continued to sleep soundly on the business end of my Dualie. Perhaps he really was asleep then, no need to keep pushing it…

I tried to lower my arm but I couldn't, it was almost like it was drawn to the sight of the Inkling lying defenseless on the floor. I stood still with my weapon aimed at him. I'm not sure why, but it felt like he was mocking me, daring me to open fire, he was lying there so peacefully as if he would expect me to wuss out here.

He rolled over in his sleep, accompanied by a smacking sound from his mouth, he seemed really relaxed as if I posed no danger to him. His arms and blue tentacles clutching his sleeping bag and staying warm.

This is an Inkling in front of me right now, shouldn't that be a good enough reason to attack?

RIght now he looks so vulnerable and weak, plus I knew he had to know more than he was letting on, I kept suspecting that he was planning something, therefore is it not the right choice to pull the trigger now?

Not only do I have a logical reason behind it, part of me really wanted to shoot him right now! I've suffered so much at the hands of Inklings that I don't even care if he is involved or not, I want to let it go, to let it all out right now.

I swear I will do it, I will splat this Inkling in his sleep!

My hand began to shake, I'm going to do it.

At least that is what I thought but I just can't.

Is the trigger stuck? Maybe the shooter jammed? Can ink based weapons even jam? Why won't it fire? Is it perhaps because of me?

Why can't I do it? This Inkling is just like every other Inkling I've met isn't he? I should know that! I should be better safe than sorry, I can't outrun him in the metro, this is the best chance I have at getting rid of him!

I stood there silently as my arm jittered all over the place, before I finally lowered my weapon.

No that's not right.

Haven't I said it many times before? I'm not a soldier, I'm no fighter, I'm a scholar, I'm going to save lives with the power of medicine and kindness not through force.

Curse myself for being unable to splat an Inkling in his sleep. If it didn't go against my conscience I would have definitely done it!

…

Huh.

I didn't know I still had a conscience, interesting. I thought I was going to take no chances and get home no matter what, but I guess that isn't the case.

Still, I didn't hesitate to lash out at all the previous Inklings right? Why couldn't I do the same with this one?

Is it because he fed me? No, every Inkling who turned their backs on me has done the same, aside from those at Inkopolis tower.

Because he seems to show concern for my well being? No I've seen FInty, Mother Superior and Taleesa do the same and I didn't hesitate to attack them.

Looks? Obviously not, he looks just like Finty and it pisses me off.

What makes this Inkling so different? Why am I telling myself not to trust him yet I can't bring myself to splat him? Is this how cognitive dissonance begins?

Well now that I've somewhat calmed down I decided to sit and think. I doubt any sanitized Octarians were coming anyways. Plus I still can't shake the feeling that this Inkling will turn on me sometime in the near future, the anticipation and uncertainty keeps me awake so there is no reason to try and sleep.

"Sigh."

Guess I should take this time to think, maybe I could come up with a plan for when things inevitably go south.

I began with that in mind but soon my thoughts moved away back to the subject of the Inkling and eventually myself.

As I replaced my bandages, I thought about what had happened over the last month.

I had spent two years of my life stuck under that villa, belittled, tormented every day. Yet I still managed to get away with a somewhat clear mind. I found myself asking why didn't I go crazy in there, or why didn't I just give up on trying to escape, after I was hunted left and right? Why did I insist on going home to Octo Valley? It wouldn't solve everything, Macrum would still probably be kidnapping Octarians to satisfy his need for revenge. What was the reason I wanted to return home? I think I had a reason but it seems to have slipped my mind by now.

What was I going to do once I got back to Octo Valley?

With nothing else to do, I sat around waiting, then I realized, the Inkling wouldn't poison his own food right?

I dug some food out of the Inkling's bag and ate quietly as I waited for the Inkling to be rested and ready for tomorrow. Everyone gets tired after all, even an Inkling, so it's best I let him get his sleep.

* * *

I sat there in silence for hours until the Inkling finally woke up, then we continued eastward.

We encountered a larger variety of sanitized Octarians as we progressed.

Oddly enough, the Inkling already seemed familiar with all of them and had no trouble dealing with them, I of course didn't know much about them.

When I asked him about the sanitized we were facing he began to point out certain sanitized and explain them to me before diving in.

"See that big thing floating up there? That's an Octozepplin, It may look pretty intimidating but I don't think they've ever come close to splatting me before, they really just slow you down by spraying ink everywhere."

"You look like you've fought them before, the same with every other sanitized Octarians we've come across so far…" I remarked.

The Inkling did not deny it in the slightest. "Of course, if I'm going to explore the deepsea i'm bound to run into them."

"Alright then, how do we get past that Octozepplin?"

"There is a tentacle on top of it, I just need to get up there and shoot at it to bring the whole thing down."

"Okay then." I took a step back, no need to get myself involved.

"You aren't going to help?"

"Hmph, do I have to? You seem to have it all under control."

"Uhh okay…" The Inkling glanced away for a moment and spotted another type of sanitized. "Oh Octocommanders! Hey be careful with those guys, they can see you even if you are hiding in ink." He said, gesturing towards a sanitized Octotrooper who wore sunglasses.

"Good to know." I replied, still not willing to fight by hs side. In response the Inkling gave me a look of disapproval, shook his head and went off to fight on his own again.

There was no need for me to get involved, I would probably just get in the way. Instead I'll try to keep track of how long we have spent walking and pick appropriate times to stop for a rest and eat.

As long as this Inkling continues to act oblivious to the bounty on my head, I should be able to make good use of him, I just need to be ready for when he eventually makes a move.

I was just thinking that, when I noticed we were starting to head upwards.

I don't know what station this was, but there was a set of stairs going up, to the surface maybe?

"Here we are."

The Inkling said as we reached to top of the stairs.

The exit here was blocked just like the entrance in Inkopolis Square, but unlike the entrance in Inkopolis, this one was not blocked by a metal gate, but a much more crude barricade of wooden planks and caution tape.

It wasn't hard for the Inkling to push out a few planks so that we could pass by.

Where are we now?

I looked up and thankfully I did not see the sky. I guess I am still underground… Could this really be Octo Valley?

We seemed to be in an abandoned city square of some sort, but off in the distance I could see a few buildings in better condition.

Better? No that shouldn't be right, Octo Valley was falling apart, and since we had just lost the zapfish not long before I was kidnapped, they couldn't have rebuilt.

That city in the distance, it felt like it was trying to welcome me inside, with it's warm lights and vivid colours…

I knew better than that.

"Well this is it." the Inkling said.

"You liar, Octo Valley isn't this fake paradise."

"What do you mean? Hey wait where are-"

I turned around immediately and ran back the way we came.

There is no possible way that the underground city I just saw was the Octo Valley I knew, Octo Valley was a deteriorating mess, not a subterranean paradise. It must have been a trap, perhaps the Inklings set up a city underground sometime during the years when I was captured. That had to be it, they are the only ones capable of making cities like that!

I bet that Inkling who called himself Inkay knew about it all along and brought be there because he knew I would not return to Inkopolis, all he would have to do was bring me into that city then I would get jumped.

Well too bad for him, I doubted every word he said, therefore I was able to see this coming, it's no surprise to me, these kinds of stuff happen all the time with Inklings.

Back into the deepsea metro I go, until I find someone who I can really trust, I'm better off travelling these underground tunnels..

Alone.

* * *

**A/N:** First off, happy holidays to you all! Sorry this chapter took so long to get out, I ran into a bit of trouble progressing the story and had to rethink and rewrite it a few times. For example you could probably notice that I was setting up Taleesa to play a larger role here, but instead I had to put another Inkling in that position. As for the Interlude I will still be posting that the day after today so don't worry about that. I won't give up on this story guys, you can count on that.


	15. Interlude 7: Toria

Despite being shut down decades ago, today the tunnels of the Deepsea Metro were filled with Inklings.

When they heard a hefty ten billion cash was on the line many of them were willing to take the risk, some were desperate, others had a need for adventure.

However, after growing up in a city where respawning had pretty much eliminated the concept of death, their sense of danger had been pretty dulled, therefore nobody realized just how precarious their current situation was.

Some took note of the dimmed and flickering lights, dusty surfaces and cobwebbed corners of the metro, however they laughed it off. They had seen all that spooky stuff on the surface since some inklings would set up haunted houses during the autumn season, therefore none of it worried them.

Besides, they had many friends and new companions they have yet to understand, how could one feel unsafe?

Since they knew that Nathalie had been known to resist arrest, Macrum's bodyguards and bounty hunters all carried their own ink weapons. Although the 'bounty hunters' in this case were not bounty hunters by profession, rather they were classified as such due to wanting the ten billion bounty on Nathalie's head. In reality they were really just anyone who had played Turf Wars and wanted the money, in fact even the Inklings Macrum hired as bodyguards had been serious and dedicated turf war players at one point in their lives.

To them who had already experienced the physical strain of playing several battles in succession and knew all sorts of strategies for turfing, they couldn't see how things could go wrong for them.

So contrary to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the deepsea metro, the one surrounding the Inklings was filled with excitement and anticipation.

They were so confident that none of them even questioned the subway that had just pulled into central station to meet them.

CQ Cumber stared into the inexplicably large group of Inklings who had just arrived, never before had he seen this many in one place.

' _Did Eight or Agent 3 bring over some of friends? This seems like way too much even for both of them… Also why would they bring friends here?'_ He couldn't think of any other reason why Inklings would risk their life coming down here in the first place.

Searching through the crowd, CQ Cumber did not find any familiar faces, so that ruled out his theory of one of the Agents being behind this.

As soon as the doors to the subway train opened the massive group of Inklings poked their heads in with curiosity and entered.

"Hey look you can see a map of the whole place here!" One Inkling pointed to a chart displaying all subway lines above the doors.

"Where should we go?"

"Where are we now is a better question."

"Ohhh Matchmaker Station, that sounds romantic."

"Ink N Slide sounds fun!"

Suddenly it sounded like the Inklings were on vacation rather than hunting down an Octoling.

"May I have your attention please?! I know you may be excited to explore an unexplored land, but do not forget we are here on important business!" Boomed a stern and commanding voice.

That got CQ Cumbers attention.

A few Inklings were still out on the platform while most were in the subway already, but they appeared to have a nonexistent level of co-ordination as they all tried to squeeze into one subway car and many weren't moving further inside to make space for the rest.

No way was the Deepsea Metro ready to move under these circumstances, so CQ Cumber decided to take action and maybe also find whoever that voice belonged too as they seemed to be the leader of this unruly group.

However when he got to the passenger car, he struggled to identify anyone as the passenger car was so crowded that with his size all he could really see was a mess of legs and shoes.

So he gave up and had to use the intercom instead.

"Attention Inklings, this is your conductor speaking, we will be departing soon so please stop blocking the entrances and be seated, move further inward to make room for the others. Also I would like to speak to whoever guided you all down here, thank you."

The Inklings' immediate response was to discuss among themselves who their conductor was and what kind of creature he might be.

Then CQ Cumber had to ask them a second time to stop blocking the entrances before they finally did so and the doors finally closed.

Now that the Inklings were not pushing each other around trying to squeeze inside, CQ Cumber could head back to the passenger cars and speak to whoever was leading this group.

When he arrived, he noticed one Inkling who stood out from the rest, as he was an elderly individual surrounded by Inklings wearing suits that gave off a bodyguard vibe, this made him seem rather important.

"Greetings, I am CQ Cumber the one and only conductor of the Deepsea Metro."

Hearing this, Macrum looked down at CQ Cumber. The conductor noticed how Macrum had a different look in his eyes compared to the last elderly inkling who rode the metro. Just like how Nathalie was different from Eight, Macrum did not seem to be at ease here, rather he seemed nervous and slightly anxious.

' _Perhaps he has a phobia of dark enclosed spaces?'_

"You are the only conductor here? Then surely you must have noticed an Octoling riding your subway." Macrum replied

' _He didn't even ask anything about the Deepsea Metro, hmm, this Octoling must be important.'_ CQ Cumber thought.

"Why yes, there have been exactly 10009 Octolings who have been passengers here."

"Don't screw with me!"

"I am not, there have been exactly 10009 Octoling passengers here. I make sure to memorize each passenger well so I can provide them with appropriate service."

"Fine then, did you see an Octoling recently, one who despises everything and only wants to watch the world burn?"

"As a matter of fact yes, she called herself Nathalie and scared off quite a few passengers. Though she claims she only despises the surface."

"That is her. Take us to wherever you dropped her off."

"Are you sure? Someone armed and holding a grudge like that against Inklings would prove dangerous."

"I already know that, why do you think I brought along so much help? Take us to her immediately."

CQ Cumber felt that something was off yet again, what strange behavior Macrum exhibited. His emotions felt completely different from those around him and what did he want with Nathalie?

He paused for a moment than replied saying "I do not know where she could be now, she only rode the metro for a brief moment thinking that it could take her back to Octo Valley."

This frightened Macrum.

If Nathalie made it back to Octo Valley what would she do? She would no doubt try to tell the other Octarians what she had gone through, even if she didn't someone would undoubtedly ask her why she was so scarred and skinny.

Sooner or later the truth would come out and the Octarians would come for him again.

Perhaps this time they won't be alone, perhaps she has already told her experiences to dozens of other creatures.

Macrum had to find her fast and break her faster, figure out who she has spoken with during the time she was free and silence or discredit them immediately.

' _I'm not about to let the Octarians take everything away from me! not a second time!'_

Macrum bellowed to the rest of the Inklings "Alright! We now know for certain that the criminal is down here but we don't know where! I suggest you all split up and search on your own, whoever finds her and brings her back to me will receive the ten billion reward!"

At that the other Inklings began to pair themselves up, Inklings who joined the hunt alongside friends grouped up, while those who were not familiar with others either decided to go solo or tag along with whoever they felt like had a good chance of succeeding.

"Criminal? Ten billion reward? Why did you not inform me of this?" CQ Cumber asked

"I just did. Now leave the rest to us, if Nathalie returns keep her on this subway but don't listen to a word she says."

"...Very well. We will now depart." CQ Cumber said before returning to the front of the subway.

Macrum's group was very concerning, though it was none of his business, so CQ Cumber tried not to think about it as he continued with his job.

BIt by bit the Inklings left, each group exploring a different station.

They still looked rather calm and joyful, completely unaware of the dangers of the deep.

CQ Cumber watched them leave one by one, sure he could go warn them, but that wasn't his job.

Instead he watched them all go, before returning to Bumpin 8-Ball and waiting.

He had already dropped a small group off there earlier.

CQ Cumber was not taking sides, no this was something they had to work out. All he was doing was just knowing when a passenger needed transport and being there.

Nathalie was sure to come running back soon, when she does, he will be here, ready to take her up Line C

* * *

Back on the surface it was getting late, the G5 headquarters was mostly empty now, the building had a few sections which remained under construction and now it was possible that they would remain that way.

Toria had heard the news, a few members of the IPD claim that evidence relating to the Nathalie case had vanished after the task force's visit, but according to Sven they never had it to begin with.

Perhaps the regular policemen were worried about the G5 taking over their jobs? Or did they actually have evidence which happened to go missing after Sven's visit.

' _What do I know about Sven anyways?'_ Toria wondered, the task force had been hastily assembled once news about Nathalie's crime spree popped up, they barely had the time to introduce each other.

As a result their task force was barely functional and all five members wanted to approach this case from a different path.

She sighed, and continued through their empty headquarters.

Everyone had gone home, she just happened to leave her purse behind and returned for it.

Continuing through the quiet hallways the only audible noise was from her own footsteps. She passed rows of wall and doors until she noticed light seeping out from under one.

Curious, she opened the door.

"Hmm? You're still here?"

The door she had opened led to Garrett's office, Garrett stood inside, his desk cluttered with a mess of papers.

The black lines forming under his eyes suggested he was rather exhausted yet here he was, still sifting through everything they had, trying to figure out why Nathalie destroyed a villa, robbed an orphanage and assaulted Inklings.

"Did you forget something?" He replied.

"Yes but more importantly, why are you still here? You know they might be shutting us down soon."

"All the more reason to get things done now." Garrett replied, without even looking up from his work.

After the polygraph test the other day, Garrett immediately went back to headquarters and had not spoken to anyone since, the pressure was on and he was determined to get to the bottom of things.

"It's okay if things don't work out we will just go back to our previous positions in the IPD. It's not such a big deal." Toria explained

Garrett did not share that train of thought "Yes it is!" he shouted, bloating up and slamming his desk in frustration. "Ahh."

Noticing his sudden outburst, Garrett sat back down. "Sorry I've been under alot of pressure, and a lack of sleep isn't helping."

Toria noticed a few crushed cans lying in the corner of the office.

"Wait, have you been here since yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Did you not leave once?"

"Uhh I still need to eat and drink you know."

"Right that was a silly question. How about this then, tell me why you are so desperate to get to the bottom of this, you aren't related to any of the victims are you?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Well, we are supposed to be a team yet we barely know one another. It's so bad that we even ended up fighting over what course of action to take." Toria pointed out "If you really do want to keep this task force active so badly, we are going to have to learn more about one another."

"Fair point." Garrett paused to collect his thoughts.

"Well then? Tell me, why are you so desperate to keep this task force going even if it means working alone? That sounds like it defeats the purpose to me."

"It's not that." Garrett explained "I'm not in it for the team, now this may sound selfish of me, but I'm here because I want the immunity the defense minister gives us."

"Oh." That changed Toria's view of Garrett in an instant, though Garrett had more to say and continued.

"See I've always wanted to be a cop. It may sound immature, but I've always looked up to heroes, to me soldiers and policemen were the knights of the modern age. So I enrolled in the police academy as soon as I was out of school and graduated top of my class. I felt so proud back then but soon I found out things were not what I had thought they would be,"

"What? Handing out tickets to grumbling creatures? Everyone starts with tasks like that you know."

"Yes I do, honestly I was okay with it until about three years ago. You remember what happened right?"

Toria thought for a moment, what significant event happened three years ago?

"Oh right!" she exclaimed

Garrett nodded "Yeah that was when the Octarian army made their return, it was the first time anyone had seen them in over a hundred years. They stole every last zapfish in Inkopolis and returned underground. I knew exactly how they got in and out of Inkopolis, I knew where they were hiding, but when I suggested that the IPD go and retrieve the zapfish all my superiors shook their heads saying it wasn't something for the police to do. I mean sure they weren't wrong, but Inkopolis hasn't had a military since the great turf wars and they weren't about to reform it for some lost zapfish. In the end it was covered up and I could do nothing but sit back and wait even as the culprits were right there within my grasp. I was chained down by the rules of the bureaucracy and forced to wait until some vigilante came along and returned all the zapfish."

"I remember hearing about that, the ones who did it should have been the same Inklings hanging around Cap'n Cuttlefish now."

"Really? Hmm, maybe I should have gone to work with them instead. Anyways things only got worse from there a year after the first zapfish thefts, there was a rumor of an Octoling sighting in Inkopolis, a few weeks later the Octarian army squidnapped several young Inklings from Inkopolis Plaza. A colleague of mine at Precinct 15 was assigned to the initial investigation, although he was on the wrong track his investigation soon led him to Octo Valley and we were told yet again to sit out. Of course he didn't listen, he invited anyone brave enough to follow him into Octo Valley. If I hadn't been scared to lose my career, I would have gone too. Lucky for me I guess, because none of the officers who left ever came back. That case was then solved by another anonymous party and credit given to the fallen officers. Case closed right? Sure, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I ended up being less of a knight and more like a chained animal unable to do anything outside of Inkopolis."

"I guess the second zapfish theft didn't help get rid of those feelings."

"No they didn't, once again we all knew who stole our zapfish and where they were, yet we weren't allowed to do anything because cops aren't supposed to operate outside their city."

"I see." Toria's view of Garrett changed again, sure he was in the task force only for immunity, but it was for a good reason.

"When I heard about the plans for a special task force that could operate outside our borders I jumped at it, in fact I pretty much begged the ministry of defense to make me a part of it and they agreed. Finally I felt that the chains were off and I could go do some real good. Yet here we are… another Octarian case and we are close to being shut down before we can even solve it! Why did it have to be so complicated this time?!" Garrett's voice slowly rose, he was irritated and tired, but he refused to stop. "I'd be dammed if I let another Octarian get away!"

Toria lay a hand on Garrett's shoulder "Take it easy there chief."

"Chief?"

"Also don't forget that we aren't looking for an Octarian but a criminal."

"Yeah i guess that did come out wrong. Don't tell Catherine I said that, she is already very conscious of being the only Octoling in the force."

"Don't worry, I won't. Now how far have you gotten since yesterday?" Toria did want to help as much as she could.

"Not very far, I've been over the floor plans for Macrum's villa but I can't find a blind spot in the security network, sure he has no cameras indoors but everything on the outside is completely covered. I've gone through the whole security footage of that day but I still can't find any clips of Nathalie arriving on scene. I've also gone through his recent money transactions and business deals but I can't find anything that might drive an Octoling to burn down his home."

"What about the floor plans? Anything there that sticks out?"

"Well I found out Macrum had excavated an expansion for the basement area, that bit is not on the plans since it was added later but it's not very significant. It just doesn't make any sense."

"What, the basement addon?"

"No the whole thing, why would someone go through all the trouble of evading cameras on their way in, if they are just going to put themselves in plain sight on the way out? I can't make any sense of it."

"Well maybe you just have to turn your thinking around. I don't know. It's getting late, you should probably head home and get some rest, maybe things will come clear tomorrow."

"You go on ahead, I'll stay for a bit longer."

"Okay, do make sure to get some sleep though, I don't want to see you half sleep tomorrow."

"Don't worry about me."

"Alright then, take care."

Toria left, leaving Garrett alone to ponder in his office again.

' _Turn my thinking around? It's not that easy. What am I supposed to look at? The money transactions? The deals? The security footage? The floor plans?'_

' _... Deals….plans….footage… ahhh it's pointless! I don't even know how she got there in the first place! Nor can I find a plausible motive!'_

' _With no motive she wouldn't have planned ahead and therefore she wouldn't be able to avoid the cameras on the way in and she wouldn't have a reason to splat and steal afterwards. I've made zero progress, we are right back where we started. Turn my thinking around… Well I got nothing else I can do…'_

Garrett began to take Toria's suggestion to heart and thought about it for a while.

' _Instead of figuring out what her motive is figure out why she could have done it without one? No that doesn't work. Instead of asking why she attacked and robbed Inklings ask why she had to do so? No, there couldn't be such a situation. Instead of asking how she evaded the cameras, ask why the cameras didn't pick her up? Nah the only possible explanation would be that she was already inside…'_

' _Wait a second… that actually works. If she was already in the villa days before she wouldn't be seen entering on the day of the crime. But why would she be there already?'_

Garrett's attention went towards the floor plans.

' _The downside of a home this big is that you would need to hire alot of creatures for maintenance, could Nathalie have been one of them? Or is there another reason she was there? I think the question I should be asking now is just how long Nathalie had been in that villa before the fire. Well the quickest way to find out would be to ask Macrum himself.'_

He laid his hand on his squid phone then stopped.

' _If Nathalie was employed by Macrum before, he would have brought it up earlier. But then how did Nathalie get inside?'_

Since he couldn't find evidence to the contrary it was safe to assume Nathalie was already inside the villa days prior to the fire, why would she burn it down though?

' _Keep turning my thinking around… Instead of why she burnt it down, why did it burn down? No that doesn't work, maybe I should be asking myself what she would stand to gain from burning the place down… Or maybe I should be asking who really burnt it down. If I recall correctly both Mother Superior of the orphanage and that Octoling called Eight said that Nathalie seemed afraid of something when they first met her.'_

Garrett yawned, it was very late and he didn't sleep the day before.

' _Well I guess I should leave it at that for now,'_ He wrote down what new suspicions he had and headed home for the day.

* * *

Back at the Bumpin 8-Ball station, a group of Inklings loitered around the entrance chatting about how they should split the reward if they find Nathalie, that was when one of them spotted something coming from the station.

She looked over at it and in response the figure retreated back into the station.

"Guys? GUYS! I think I just saw something over there." she told her companions.

Immediately one of the Inklings bolted ahead causing the rest to chase after him.

"Hey! We are supposed to work together!"

"So what? I'm gonna get there first! Whoever nabs the Octolings get the largest cut!"

"No fair! I can barely run with his heavy Splatling!"

"Hey look! Over there!"

They ran into Nathalie, who had been stopped by a group of sanitized Octotroopers.

"See! I told you I saw something! That's her right?"

"Looks like it."

Nathalie glanced towards both sides, not sure what to do, the santized Octotroopers however only had one task "Targets acquired, destroy."

Nathalie dove into Octopus form to avoid a glob of ink fired her way, it passed over her and towards the Inklings.

"Plap" The ink made contact with one of the Inklings.

For a moment they all stared at the one Inkling who now had a pale blue ink splatted on his vest.

That's fine, they could take more than one hit, he wouldn't be splatted yet right?

But what if these Octotroopers dealt more damage that the weapons they used?

What if they had hidden abilities or specials that could not be avoided.

Wait if they got splatted here where would they respawn?

These thoughts ran through the Inklings minds as they suddenly realized they weren't safe down here.

Then panic settled in.

"Eeeek!" One Inkling screeched, two others ran into each other, a fourth backed away firing her Heavy Splatling and the fifth just hid immediately.

Although they were confident in their turf war skills, the sudden shock of being attacked by an unknown enemy was too great, that combined with the knowledge that they would not respawn down here meant they were no longer thinking straight and flailed about not knowing what to do.

This gave Nathalie the chance to escape, she ran back to the station just as CQ Cumber had predicted and hopped aboard the Deepsea Metro, making a quick getaway while the Inklings fought the sanitized Octotroopers with minimal efficiency.

Or course it was just a small group of Octotroopers and the Inklings did manage to splat them without taking any losses. However they were still shaken.

"W-wh-what was that? I thought we were the only ones down here!"

"Wh- was that the Octarian army?"

"I don't think so I've seen them once before and they were not as creepy!"

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah I think so."

"I got hit but I'm still solid."

Nobody even talked about how Nathalie got away, nor did they blame each other, for the moment they checked to make sure everyone was alright. Then they decided to back track and wait at the station.

During this time Nathalie headed north then to the west, trying to avoid the stations she had already visited and trying to get as far away from Bumpin 8-Ball station as possible.

Eventually the Deepsea Metro returned and picked up the Inklings.

Macrum's entourage was now back together discussing the stations they had explored, nobody else had any luck, but some other groups had encountered sanitized Octarians and were already considering going back.

The robot like voices and behavior of the sanitized Octarians along with their eerie colour scheme had really creeped them out.

"You can't be serious, did you forget why you are all here to begin with?" Macrum told them. "If a few robotic Octotroopers are enough to make you give up ten billion then fine leave, if things really get back then I'll increase the reward even further!"

As he made this declaration a new Inkling listened in with curiosity.

The one who called himself an explorer of the deep, Inkay had been riding the metro waiting for Macrum's group to gather again.

He was worried that some of them might have already been splatted, but from the looks of it they were shaken up but not mourning anyone yet. Also it seemed like nobody noticed him just joining in out of nowhere, I guess nobody is keeping track of who is present and who is not.

By that logic there may have already been some Inklings who had gotten splatted but nobody knew who they were.

Inkay shook his head, _'No let's not assume the worst just yet.'_ He told himself. If nobody was keeping track of the Inklings present then that means it's likely he can just join up with them at any time and nobody would question it, that might be useful if he was going to figure out just what is happening here.

Though for the moment it seems that Macrum's suggestion of a higher bounty had stopped everyone else from reconsidering going through the deepsea metro.

"Why are you spending so much money on one Octoling?" Inkay asked.

There was silence as almost everybody turned their attention on Inkay, he was not prepared to become the centre of attention and almost stepped back on instinct, but instead stood his ground.

Macrum eyed him for one moment, there was almost a hint of anger in his face, but it was gone before anyone could notice.

"Is it not obvious? That Octoling destroyed my Villa and everything I had inside! It would have been fine if it were any other of my properties but that one was a special place for me."

"Even so isn't this a job for the police?"

"Do you want the bounty or not?"

"Oh I do, it's just that I can stop wondering why you would be spending so much to catch one Octarian."

Macrum and Inkay locked eyes and for a moment Inkay wondered if he had said a bit too much.

Macrum however was not going to lose the trust of the other Inklings so easily, besides he had no reason to intimidate any Inklings into doing anything.

"You know there was a war about a hundred years ago? I was still a child back then, I can't remember much from my childhood, but the one thing I will never forget is the sound of the Octarian invasion. I lost everything to the Octarains back then and I couldn't do anything, this time however I have the means and the resources to chase them down, I might be old but that doesn't mean I'm ready to sit down and let the Octarians do whatever they want to Inkopolis."

Macrum didn't lie, that's what made it so much more believable.

"Yeah that's right! Did they also steal the Great Zapfish twice now?" Someone shouted

"Yep! We can't just let them go unpunished!" Another Inkling replied.

It seemed that everyone had quickly forgotten about the sanitized Octarians or they had simply become more determined to catch Nathalie after seeing how even an elderly individual such as Macrum would not give up for supposedly the sake of Inkopolis.

Inkay watched as the other Inklings began making plans on their own again. He considered what Macrum had told him and wondered.

' _It's true that the Octarian Army still dislikes Inkopolis, but not every Octarian is part of said army, I mean take a look at Eight for example… But Nathalie really did seem to fit the bill.'_

Inkay wasn't really sure what to believe, he did know Nathalie had a rather irrational distrust of Inklings and was extremely paranoid when she was around him, but Nathalie didn't go so far as to try and splat him when had willingly let go of his weapons.

If anything Nathalie seemed more like she was doing those things for her own safety and not hate, or at least not yet. That doesn't explain why commit arson, unless there was more to it there.

Inkay decided he had to find out more, but first he should do something about the Inklings here, he did want to make sure they were all safe to begin with.

"What about those creepy Octarians we saw earlier?" Inkay said in a rather loud voice for all to hear. He wasn't actually present earlier, nor was he travelling in a group but nobody would know that. They would assume that like them, Inkay was new to the Deepsea Metro and knew just as much as they did.

"Oh right, what should we do?"

"Do you think they are working with that Octoling?"

The Inklings began murmuring amongst themselves again, before staring at Macrum for a solution.

"We uhh, we'd just have to be more careful and don't hesitate to fight back."

Perfect, just the suggestion Inkay needed.

"Careful? Oh I get it, if we take our time and make larger groups I think we can get through this without anyone being splatted." He suggested.

"Yeah that will do, hey we got seven guys over here already, anyone want to come with us?"

As the Inklings began forming up into larger groups Inkay thought for sure he saw another annoyed look on Macrum's face, but he didn't have very long to see it, for now he was going to slip away as soon as possible and dash ahead.

The other Inklings would be slowly searching the stations one by one, Now that they were going to stick together, it would take them much longer to get through the metro, at the same time it would reduce the risk of one smaller group being wiped out.

As the subway came to a stop all the Inklings got out together, before splitting up to search the station in smaller but still relatively large groups. All while Macrum and his guards would wait at the station for news.

Inkay however had used the chaos while all the Inklings were squeezing their way out to hide under one of the subway seats, he pressed himself against it, ignoring what disgusting things might lay there and didn't make a sound.

Once everyone was gone and the subway started moving again, Inkay came out.

' _Okay that takes care of that, now if I were Nathalie, where would I be?'_

He knew she was extremely paranoid and would likely try to get as far away as possible from where she was spotted.

The Inklings who saw her mentioned they saw the subway heading northward on line C, this is why the other Inklings had gotten off at Shrinky Ink station, which was just north of Bumpin 8-Ball.

Inkay however believed that Nathalie wouldn't stop there, she would probably try not to head in the same direction she was previously going, therefore maybe she got off further north and then started heading west as she has no clue where to go and was previously not going in that direction.

' _Okay, time to find that octoling again.'_

* * *

A while later Inkay had found Nathalie and brought her back to the deepsea metro.

Although she had gone two days without food or rest she refused Inkay's help, still incredibly distrustful of him.

Inkay however offered to take her to Octo Valley.

He had been in the Deepsea Metro long enough to know where it was after all.

Eventually Nathalie agreed, but in reality she figured she could ditch him while they were caught in the middle of a fight.

They soon found out that there was alot more sanitized around than usual, since there was nobody around to control the sanitized anymore it was too dangerous for CQ Cumber to proceed any further, so it was just Inkay and Nathalie from here on out.

Inkay thought that maybe they could go straight to Octo Valley, but a few stations later, Nathalie figured the day was almost over and asked if they should rest for the night.

"Are you getting tired?"

Inkay glanced at Nathalie suspiciously, so far she had been making him test her food for poison and leaving all the fighting to him, why the sudden concern?

"No I'm fine, we can keep going."

"In that case, we can go into this station and clear it out, make it safer for the night."

"Night?" Inkay asked before checking the time for himself "Oh you are right."

Octarians did have a better sense of time, having had to live underground without electricity until recently. It wasn't surprising that Nathalie might be able to vaguely predict the time.

' _Still I expected her to try and run me ragged then leave me behind. It's strange I guess I still don't understand this Octoling at all. I was right to search for her again instead of going with those others.'_

"Okay then, let's look around for sanitized Octarians, after that we will call it a night."

The station they had stopped at was Girl Power Station.

It was previously occupied by only Sanitized Octolings and featured a sort of fort in the center where one test subject would have to defend from. Not a bad place to rest for the night.

Unfortunately due to the sanitized wandering randomly the place now housed even more enemies than before.

"Hmm, so Girl Power station now has Octostamps and Octocommanders in addition to Octolings… Huh?" Inkay noticed Nathalie glaring at him again. He must have looked suspicious in her eyes if he was standing there mumbling to himself so he gave her a smile and decided not to do that again.

"Well this place doesn't look too bad, we just have to clear it out, make it a bit safer for us right?" He stated the obvious in a poor attempt to draw attention away from his careless whispers.

"You've been here before?" Nathalie asked.

"What?"

"Have you?"

"I've uhh… Heard about it." Inkay lied.

"Then why were you acting like something is out of place here?"

"I was just taking note and remembering what CQ Cumber told us. That the sanitized are wandering wherever they please."

"Well if that's the case, tell me what are the Octocommanders and Octostamps you just mentioned?"

"You don't know? The Octarian army should have them too."

"Do I look like I'm from the Octarian army?"

' _Huh? I thought for sure… I mean all the Octolings who still hate Inkopolis were from the Octarian army… But no wait, if she was part of the army she would be heading for Octo Canyon not Octo Valley… I don't get it… Also...'_

"You're not? Well I guess that kinda makes sense? But then how did you get all those scars?" Inkay inquired

"Take a wild guess."

"Uhhh… well from your behavior I would say Inkopolis, but…"

"Let me guess, you don't believe somebody could be reduced to such a state in Inkopolis."

Inkay shook his head _'No I really can't see something in Inkopolis doing that to an Octoling, I mean all of the Octolings moving to Inkopolis recently were all pretty happy to be there. Though I guess now that I look closely Nathalie is alot skinnier than the Octolings from the army and judging from the punch she threw earlier, she's significantly weaker too… ahhh..'_

Inkay could see veins popping on Nathalie's forehead, her dislike for Inkopolis was so great and she was letting it show, albeit unwillingly.

"I uhhh, did I say something wrong?" Inkay said taking a few steps back, although Nathalie wasn't the most intimidating creature out there she still looked quite scary with that face.

"You know what? I think I'll just… Get started on this station, yeah." Inkay excused himself and leapt towards the sanitized.

Not soon after that Nathalie told Inkay to rest while she kept watch, claiming she would be unable to sleep with an Inkling nearby anyways.

She stayed up all night, sometimes she closed her eyes but she could never fall asleep.

For a moment she did consider splatting Inkay in his sleep but in the end she decided against it.

Inkay of course was not aware of this, instead he fell asleep wondering just why Nathalie was showing small bits of kindness here and there.

He probably would have believed Macrum just a few days ago but now he wasn't sure.

After all he did go back to Inkopolis recently, heard some bad news about Nathalie and about the huge bounty. On the other hand his friend Eight kept trying to convince him that there was more to Nathalie than it seemed, saying that she felt like Nathalie had been doing things out of fear and that she even helped stop an outbreak at Inkopolis Tower, but what really made him turn back and start looking into things by himself was the text he had received shortly after.

It was from his father, who had been working at Inkopolis Tower…

* * *

The next day Inkay and Nathalie continued on with their journey.

Nathalie had been curious as to why Inkay seemed familiar with all the sanitized Octarians they had been running into so she began to ask him for information on the sanitized.

"See that big thing floating up there? That's an Octozepplin, It may look pretty intimidating but I don't think they've ever come close to splatting me before, they really just slow you down by spraying ink everywhere."

"You look like you've fought them before, the same with every other sanitized Octarians we've come across so far…" Nathalie remarked.

"Of course, if I'm going to explore the deepsea i'm bound to run into them." Inkay didn't feel a need to lie this time.

"Alright then, how do we get past that Octozepplin?"

"There is a tentacle on top of it, I just need to get up there and shoot at it to bring the whole thing down."

"Okay then." Nathalie took a step back, still prioritizing her own life before everything else.

"You aren't going to help?"

"Hmph, do I have to? You seem to have it all under control."

"Uhh okay…" Inkay began looking around for a way up to the zeppelin when he spotted another type of sanitized Octarian. "Oh Octocommanders! Hey be careful with those guys, they can see you even if you are hiding in ink." He said, gesturing towards a sanitized Octocommander idling nearby.

"Good to know." Nathalie replied, still not willing to fight if she didn't have to.

This continued for some time before they actually reached Octo Valley.

However Nathalie didn't see the Octo Valley she was used to.

Octo Valley was supposed to be a dark and gloomy place, so why was there a modern and pristine city sitting there?

"Well this is it." Inkay said.

"You liar, Octo Valley isn't this fake paradise."

"What do you mean? Hey wait where are you going?" Inkay called out to her, but Nathalie didn't hear half of it.

Without hesitation, Nathalie chose to run away.

For a moment Inkay was about to go after her, but then he stopped.

She would most likely go back the way she came to avoid fighting, since it was pretty obvious she either hated it, or lacked the confidence to do so.

He could catch up to her, but first off he should probably call Eight again because he was more than ready to believe her now.

* * *

Back on the surface of Inkopolis Garrett drove through the busy streets alone.

His task force still wasn't working as a team and Toria was once again not present, so he had decided to search Inkopolis Square for her.

It was the place she would most likely be, since Toria had mentioned she was keeping in touch with Eight.

It wasn't too hard to find her, she was seated in one of the tables next to the Crust Bucket along with two others.

One was an Octoling the other an Inkling, both were familiar to Garrett.

' _Eight is here, as expected, who was the other one called again? Taleesa from the orphanage?'_

"Hey."

"Ahh! hey chief, when did you get here?" Toria exclaimed

"Toria I thought we told you not to drag others into this."

"I know but… well, I'm sorry to say this but sometimes I feel like it's hard to work with the rest of you." Toria admitted.

Garrett could see where she was coming from, the rest of the task force had done little more than argue amongst themselves so far, but that's just what happens when you rush things, if not for the consecutive crimes in such a short period, the task force wouldn't have even entered service until two more months had passed.

"Yeah that makes sense, well? Anything new?"

"Nothing yet, well Taleesa, this is-"

"Detective Garrett right? He was at the orphanage a while back talking with Mother Superior."

"That's right, good memory, though I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"I just wanted to know how things were going, thinking about Nathalie has been keeping me up at night, do you think she's alright?"

"Wasn't it you who called the police in the first place?"

"I did, but only because it looked like she was attacking Bernice, I mean I did think that maybe she was a criminal at first, but the things that happened afterwards… It didn't feel right to me."

"I get it, but for your own safety I would suggest that you leave this to us."

"I understand…" Taleesa had a rather dejected look to her as she got up to leave.

Garrett watched and thought about her role so far, she had briefly befriended Nathalie in the period before an arrest warrant was put out, after which she immediately called the police, only to regret it not too soon after…

Since Garrett didn't have much more to work with and not much of a team either, It might be worthwhile keeping Taleesa in the loop for now.

"Hold on, I didn't say you had to go. You want to hear the latest right? Stay a bit." Garrett offered.

"Thank you sir." Taleesa immediately sat back down.

"Right, so I was just asking Eight about the Deepsea Metro." Toria continued from where they were before Garrett arrived.

"The Deepsea Metro counts as being out of Inkopolis' borders, sure we can go it, but it will be dangerous." Garrett explained.

"Yes I know but apparently Eight has been down there before."

"Really? When did that happen? And why?" Garrett asked

"It's a long story… Let's just say it involved a telephone, that NLIS statue in the sea and some 8-balls…. So so many 8-balls." Eight shuddered a bit when speaking, it wasn't cold, perhaps she was recalling something unpleasant.

"Oookay? Well I unfortunately hit a dead end, so incase it helps mind telling us-"

"Wait just a moment." someone was calling Eight's squid phone. "Give me a sec." Eight walked a few steps away from the crust bucket so she could clearly hear whoever was on the other end, leaving just Toria and Garrett to discuss the issue with Nathalie.

"Did you find anything last night? I can tell you got some sleep so you must have found something right?" Toria predicted.

"It's not much, more like an idea."

Eight came speeding back "Okay i'm here. I think you should all hear this… Yeah you are are speaker now."

The one calling her was Inkay, he explained what had happened the other day, as well as what had just transpired when he arrived in Octo Valley.

"So you had her but not anymore, what are you doing in the Deepsea anyways? Are you part of that group that left with Macrum earlier?" Garrett asked.

"No actually I've been down here for quite some time before."

"What the? Why hasn't the IPD done something about this…" Garrett muttered under his breath.

"Don't worry he can handle it." Eight assured them "Do you know where Nathalie is now?"

"My guess is she is heading back to the metro, though it's strange, she must have been in Inkopolis for quite sometime, yet she can't stand the place."

"What do you mean?" Toria asked.

"Well, I took her back to Octo Valley right? She kept saying she wanted to go there and I figured since Octo Valley is on good terms with Inkopolis now. That they'd catch her if she really was as bad as they say, but as soon as I reached the Valley she panicked and said that it wasn't Octo Valley before running off again."

"And so what does that mean?"

"Well she might have just been acting of course, but I have the feeling she's been in Inkopolis for much longer than it seems."

"I doubt that." Garrett said "We have a record on every single Octarian who moved into Inkopolis recently and she doesnt show up in it. She also doesn't seem like the type who can hack into a government database and delete her own profile."

"That was too recent, I'm saying Nathalie must have been there for at least two years." Inkay replied.

"Why is that?"

"Because two years ago Octo Valley was a mess, buildings deteriorating, trains derailing, it was awful. That was before DJ Octavio's Octarian Army left the place and moved to Octo Canyon. All of the Octarians who still didn't like us left with them, leaving Octo Valley to make deals with Inkopolis, obtain zapfish and rebuild. If she really didn't recognize her home country, the only reason I can think of is that she had not seen the place in at least two years."

"I remember that. There was even some infighting between the Octarians who were loyal to Octavio and those who wanted to end their old hatreds. But that news even reached us up on the surface, unless she's been living under a rock I'm sure an Octoling living in Inkopolis would have heard of it." Toria said.

"Not a rock, but maybe a multimillion dollar villa?" Garrett remarked

"Huh?"

"I don't know I was just thinking… The other day you told me to turn my thinking around and I figured that the only explanation for why nobody saw Nathalie arrive at the villa on the day of the fire, would be that Nathalie was already there beforehand."

"That doesn't make much sense, why would she be there?" Taleesa added.

"I don't know, but it's the only way I could see it working out. Before that fire and the security footage of her fleeing the villa, there is just no trail at all, as if she didn't exist until that day."

"Well she has to have been somewhere during that time. Anyways I gotta get going if I'm going to catch up to her."

"Wait, before you hang up. You never introduced yourself." Toria noted.

"Oh, well for now just call me Inkay alright? I gotta go."

With that Inkay hung up and gave chase, hoping to catch up to Nathalie quickly.

Garrett also rose from his seat "Let us know immediately if that friend of yours catches up to Nathalie."

"Where are you going chief?" Toria asked.

"I have to check something."

"Well then i'll go with you, we are supposed to be a team after all."

"Tell that to the others… Listen if Nathalie really has been here for that long then there must be more to Macrum's villa that it seems."

"Right that is where the crime spree begins, but what are you trying to find there?"

"I don't know but i'm starting to think we weren't given the full picture here, there has to be a reason why Macrum is throwing ten billion up for grabs and everyone is trying to criminalize Nathalie. Nobody has seen or heard of her before the fire at Macrum's villa and there is no security footage of her ever arriving on the scene."

"You know it could just be that she was caught midway in the act and ran."

"That doesn't make much sense, if she was spotted before setting fire to the place they could have put it out, or at least called the fire department much earlier, Macrum and all his security staff were there that day after all. There has to be some other connection we just can't see at the moment, so I'm going back to where Macrum's villa used to be."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

"Alright, did you drive here?"

"No I live nearby."

"In that case, we will take my car, let's hurry, the sooner we get to the bottom of this the better."

There has been plenty of complications for Garrett, Toria and the rest of the task force, but now they were on the right track.

As the rest squabbled Garrett and Toria sped back towards the charred land which had once been Macrum's villa.

"You know, I'm starting to believe Nathalie isn't the culprit here." Toria admitted on the way to the scene.

Garrett didn't say anything.

"Hey, I've been wondering, could part of the reason why you want to catch Nathalie so bad, be because you were never allowed to stop the Octarian army before?"

"Hmm… Maybe." Garrett could understand her concern, the reason why he was so detemerined to continue on with the case was because of all the previous times when he knew the Octarian army had been the culprit and was not allowed to do anything. Maybe she thought it was clouding his judgement. "I'll keep it in mind."

Not long after they had arrived.

"What are we looking for anyways?" Toria asked

"I have no idea, Garrett replied, "But Nathalie's trail begins here, the IPD supposedly found nothing noticeable here which means they had to have missed something. Let's look around, and don't be afraid to dig through the rubble."

"But we already know Nathalie had to have been here before, and for a long time right?"

"That is just speculation at this point, while it's the only story we have which makes sense, I'm not about to go into the Deepsea Metro and make arrests before we know what really happened here."

"What really happened here, hey does that mean you also think Nathalie isn't the one behind everything?"

"I don't know what to believe, that's why I'm here… If what we heard from Eight and Taleesa are true, then Nathalie has just been running scared all this time. We didn't take a good look at the villa before since the IPD claimed to have searched it thoroughly, but if Nathalie really had been here for a long time before setting fire to the villa, there has to be something they missed. We should start digging."


End file.
